Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme
by Keyote
Summary: Part two of the Invoke trilogy; the second act of the storyline; the continuation of Naruto Invoke: Overdrive.
1. 1 Paint My Heart Dark 1

**AN: **Here we are, the beginning of act 2 on the Invoke series. Note I'm releasing 11 chapters right off the bat so you have plenty to start off with. But before you read, here's a few bits of info. Originally, I wasn't going to release this till after releasing my second Naruto Invoke movie fic; **Fade Away** but that has been put on hold for the time being due to a bit of trouble with a scene in chapter 1. It will be releases when I'm happy with it. Also, expect Trance Forme to be shorter than Overdrive in terms of chapters as I'm trying to streamline the story. Anyways, here we go...

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.1: Paint My Heart Dark 1**

**Take A Chance**

If life is a game they say

I can't win

I'll never amount to nothin'

Tear me down before my life begins

I won't be afraid

To challenge myself

They won't ever break my fire,

My dreams won't die if I high-five the sky

Spread my wings, take off, it's time to fly

Take a chance to make it all the way

Take a chance, forgetting yesterday

Take a chance, BELIEVE

Nothing will bring me down

No retreat when I leave all my fears behind

My future's still alive inside

Take a chance and chase my doubts away

Believing gets me through my darkest days

Take a chance to make it all the way

Take a chance, forgetting yesterday

Take a breath, my heart will lead the way

Take a chance

I'll take a chance today

Today had been meant to be a great day, the day the Order of Ama joined forces with Elder Mada and her Jinchuriki. Today was destined to be the day Naruto and Hinata's lives would change forever as they took their relationship to a new level. Today was to represent a new beginning.

Sadly, it hadn't gone as planned.

Due to the unexpected interference by Pain, Hinata was dead and Naruto had entered the four tailed chakra beast form known as Daemon Mode from the pain and rage her death had caused him. Worse yet, the Order of Ama had been tricked to believe Naruto had been the one to kill her and were out for revenge and Daemon Naruto, his current state making him unable to recognize them was now perseiving them as enemies he needed to destroy.

Yeah, some great day huh?

The war cry of the fifteen Slayers filled the air as they pulled their best weapons out to the ready, then charged at Naruto, their duty to capture him paramount in their minds. Likewise, Daemon Naruto roars while raking his chakra claws upon the ground before racing towards them, intent on destroying these unknown beings he believed to be enemies.

"Girls, spread out" shouts Sakuya at her fifteen Slayers. "And stay alert at all times. Remember, in this state, he can launch an attack from any point on his body. And as long as he remains touching the ground, he can also send attacks at you from beneath too. No matter what, don't let yourselves be hit."

Most of the girls currently present had never faced a Jinchuriki in their whole time with the Order, let alone a Makian that looked like Naruto did now. So naturally, they were afraid. But their anger over Hinata's death was making them keep going as they begin to race around Daemon Naruto, making him stop and try to follow the movements of each one.

"Sayo, can you give me an opening?" shouts Ai, pulling out a symbol covered ribbon.

"Leave it to me" shouts Sayo, a tanned girl with dreadlocks styled hair as she alters her angle and runs straight at Daemon Naruto.

Hearing footsteps approaching him, Daemon Naruto looks to see Sayo coming at him, and fires a chakra claw at her. Sayo dodges around it, then smiles a bit as she uses her kekkei genkai, causing her whole body to pulse with lightning chakra before zapping forward, slamming into Daemon Naruto like a bolt of lightning striking from the blue. The impact is enough to push him back, nearly flipping him onto his back.

"My turn" says Ai, spinning around and launching her symbol covered ribbon at Daemon Naruto, it wrapping itself around his left wrist, making the symbols to glow. "Now then, your arm is mine to control" says Ai before making a mental command.

Immediately, the enwrapped hand becomes a fist before slamming itself into Daemon Naruto's face with ground crushing force. His face jerks to the side as Ai sends another mental command to the arm, unleashing multiple chakra claws to emerge from the arm, wrapping themselves around Daemon Naruto's body and proceeding to crush him.

"Not bad, Ai. You can even control a Daemon with your jutsu" says Sayo.

Ai, her face straining from the chakra she was needing to expend for this, says weakly "No, I can't maintain this much...longer..."

Several other girls come at Daemon Naruto, seeing him vulnerable from Ai's control, and readying their sealing spikes. Daemon Naruto sees them coming as his body is even more crushed by its own weapons. His anger rising, he unleashes a pure wave of demonic chakra that dispels the multi-chakra claws and turns Ai's ribbon to ash, the result blows her off her feet.

"Ai?" shouts one of the girls as Daemon Naruto roars, then sends himself into a deadly spin, whipping up a tornado of demonic chakra the shoots outwards and sending the Slayers flying back.

Sakuya growls from her vantage point as she prepares to join the battle herself. But her eyes quickly shift position to Tenten as she runs towards another of the girls.

"Kasumi, give me a boost" shouts Tenten.

"I'll give you a double" replies Kasumi, bracing herself.

With Kasumi's help, Tenten is sent flying into the sky, positioning herself over Daemon Naruto, who looks up and roars at her before chakra claws shoot from his back up at her. "I don't think so" says Tenten, her tone filled with rage as she strengthens the grip on her sealing pike, which was a large pole with a spike at one end and a liquid filled orb on the other.

Tenten comes sailing down, dodging around each chakra claw before landing on Daemon Naruto's back. He roars, trying to throw her off, but Tenten somehow manages to stay on top of him while shouting "This is for Hinata" then stabbing the sealing spike down into his back.

Daemon Naruto roars in pain as he violently jerks his body from Tenten's actions, which finally throws Tenten off him. Immediately, he tries to reach back on pull the pike free, but finds it beyond his reach. So he sends some extra chakra claws out, but they burst from existence the moment they touch it.

The liquid within the orb begins to glow, then sinks down through the pike and enters his body. This has an immediate effect on Daemon Naruto as his movements begin to become sluggish and the chakra making up his body begins to grow fainter.

"Hurry girls, while he's vulnerable" shouts Sakuya.

One by one, the other girls use their own spikes on Daemon Naruto. With each successful application, the state of his Daemon Mode becomes less and less, weaker and weaker. By the time he had been impaled by all fifteen, Daemon Naruto had reverted to Naruto surrounded in the Mazuko Mode chakra cloak which finally faded out, leaving a weakened and weary Naruto barely conscious, though his eyes still were the eyes of one calling on his Jinchuriki power.

Sakuya finally approaches, holding a special sealing charm in her hand. Stopping before Naruto, she looks down at him and says "Long have I wished for a chance to face a Jinchuriki of a Biju. While it would give me great pleasure in purging you here and now. I'm afraid I have other plans for you."

"Wait, what do you mean, Sakuya? And what's that charm in your hand there?" asked Tenten.

"I'll explain in a moment. But for now" says Sakuya as she goes to place the charm around Naruto's neck. "It's time you take a little nap...traitor."

Her actions stop suddenly as they all feel a strong pulse of chakra race through the air. They all turn and see Fuu, her eyes wide and filled with rage at seeing what had been done to Naruto. "Fuu" shouts Tenten.

"Girls, we have another Jinchuriki. Deal with her" orders Sakuya.

The fifteen Slayers quickly replace their sealing pikes with fresh ones from a scroll, then charge at Fuu. "What is this?" says Fuu as a cloak of chakra begins to form around her. The Shichi Mask appears on her face as she shouts **"JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"**

"Be careful everyone. She's a wind style specialist" warns Tenten.

Fuu narrows her eyes in anger, seeing Sakuya place the charm around Naruto's neck, then turns her attention to Tenten and the other girls and says **"That's right, you better be warned about me." **Chakra taking the form of wings forms on her back as she grits her teeth.

"**Because I don't stand to see my family attacked. Wind style; Shrieking Gale" **she shouts as the chakra wings begin flapping wildly, releasing both a powerful wind and a noise that sounds like nails on a chalk board.

Immediately, Tenten and the other girls come to a stop and fall to their knees, covering their ears with their hands as the sound of Fuu's jutsu makes them feel like their heads will explode. Naruto, now unconscious, falls onto the ground and Sakuya turns her attention to Fuu.

"Looks like its up to me" she says as she goes to move, but is stopped as someone grabs her wrist.

"Where is Chiyo?" says Mada, her voice low and dangerous as Sakuya turns and looks at who stopped her.

"I take it you must be the Jinchuriki den mother; elder Mada?" says Sakuya.

"I asked you a question, little brat. Where is Chiyo at?" says Mada, tightening her grip on Sakuya's wrist.

Sakuya looks back at her girls, struggling to stand under the onslaught of noise and seeing that their current situation would insure her voice wouldn't be heard, and decides to let Mada know things have changed. "I'm afraid lady Chiyo...has been relieved of her duties. I'm in charge now" she says, looking back at Mada, a devious smile on her face.

"What have you done?" shouts Mada.

"Like I said" says Sakuya, her wrist suddenly turning into scraps of paper and allowing her to break free of Mada's hold. "I relieved Chiyo from her duties. I couldn't allow her to have her way and destroy everything the Order stand for."

Sakuya then makes a hand sign, causing her whole body to break into streams of paper that begin to circle around Mada. One piece comes in close enough to slice off a piece of Mada's sleeves and the rest begin shrinking inward, the plan to slice her apart.

"You mean what you stand for. I knew she should have cast you out long ago" says Mada. She then presses her hands together and says "Unruly children like you should be punished", then spreads her hands wide, releasing a massive blast of wind that pushes Sakuya's paper form away from her.

Mada, wasting no time, quickly grabs Naruto and says "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Naruto." She then looks to Fuu and shouts "Fuu, we're leaving...NOW."

Hearing her, Fuu stops her wind attack and moves over to Mada's side. Tenten, though disoriented like the others, still manages to get back on her feet and though wobbly and woozy, takes aim with her sealing pike and chucks it at Fuu, who manages to spin around and catch it in mid air.

"Bring that with us" says Mada. "I'm going to need to examine it."

"What about Hinata?" asked Fuu.

"...no, stay away from her..." says Tenten before her disorientation causes her to fall back onto the ground.

Mada turns to see Sakuya's partially restored body standing over Hinata's corpse while her papers that made up the rest of her were spinning around them like a shield. She sighs and says "There's nothing we can do for her now. Right now, getting Naruto to safety is our top priority."

Fuu nods, then grabs Mada before shooting into the air and flying all of them off to safety. Seeing them go and being unable to stop them makes Tenten scream with rage. Once they had gone from her sight, Sakuya fully reforms, then looks down at Hinata's lifeless body before walking over to Tenten.

"...damn it, damn it, kami damn it" says Tenten over and over as she pounds her fist weakly into the earth, tears falling from her eyes.

Sakuya kneels down before her, then looks at the other girls and sees them finally starting to recover. She then places a hand on Tenten's shoulder and says "Next time, we will get Naruto. And that Fuu girl as well."

"Is everyone alright?" comes the voice of Konan as a stream of papers appear and form themselves into her body.

"Konan? What are you doing here, old friend?" asked Sakuya, acting like they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"I was in the area and heard the sound of a Makian. I also felt a powerful chakra signature coming this way. And then I felt yours and I came to investigate" says Konan, playing along.

"Lady Sakuya, who is this?" asked Sayo.

"Her name is Konan. Me and her are childhood friends and both hail from the same village" says Sakuya.

Konan nods at the other girls and notices Tenten looking at her with a cold expression. Realizing that this was likely about her Akatsuki cloak, which Tenten likely remembered from the incident in Ame with Itachi and Kisame _'I knew I should have changed clothes before coming here.'_

"Tell me, what has happened here?" she asked.

After a moments thought, Sakuya says "As you know, I left home to join the Order of Ama after...that incident. Not to long ago, a day actually, we learned that our newest member, Hinata, had a close friendship with a Jinchuriki. As you know, the Order has a policy about Jinchuriki..."

"Lady Sakuya, the Order's true nature is secret. You know that" says Ai.

"Relax, Konan has known about the Order for years now" says Sakuya. "Anyway, lady Chiyo decided to go along with Hinata's plan to form an alliance with the Jinchuriki and came here to meet with him. And then..."

"He killed her, that bastard Naruto killed her" spat out Tenten.

Konan looks back and sees Hinata's body, then walks over to her and kneels down, placing her hand against the wound. "Hey what are you...?" shouts Tenten, but Sakuya places a hand on her shoulder and shakes her head when she looks at her.

After a moment, Konan looks back and says "There may still be time to save her."

"What?" shouts Tenten as the other girls get surprised looks on their faces.

"How?" asked Sakuya.

"Do you remember Nagato?" asked Konan, getting a nod from Sakuya. "He has the power to save her. But we need to hurry before we run out of time."

Sakuya nods and says "I understand." She then turns and looks at her girls and says "Tenten, you're with me. Get Hinata's body. The rest of you, return to the temple and alert the others on what has happened. We are now at condition crimson. Alert lady Chiyo as well. Move out."

Tenten quickly breaks away to get Hinata while the other girls head off. Sakuya then steps in close to Konan and says in a low, almost whisper level voice "Can one of your paper clones get back to the temple before my girls can?"

"The wind favors me. What do you need?" asked Konan.

Sakuya then produces the sliced off piece of cloth from Mada's sleeve and hands it to Konan. "If you can get it there and place it in her hands before the arrive, we can use this as evidence to make everyone believe Mada herself is responsible for Chiyo's coma, thus making it easier to sow distrust in her words and the Jinchuriki she cares about so much."

Konan smiles and says "You are still an scary girl, Sakuya.' She then makes a paper double and hands it the cloth before the double produces paper wings and flies off.

"What was that?" asked Tenten, running up with Hinata propped on her back.

"I've sent a paper clone ahead to alert Nagato of the situation so he'll be ready when we arrive back in Ame" says Konan, having made sure her clone had headed towards Ame first to make her words believable. "Now, we better hurry."

As the three of them set off, Tenten says "How do I know you can be trusted? Just because you and Sakuya have history doesn't change the fact you're wearing the same robes as the two guys who attacked me and Hinata not to long ago."

"I know and I apologize for that. They were under orders to capture the Jinchuriki only, not injure anyone else. They have already been reprimanded for their mistakes. And I promise that we are not your enemies" says Konan.

Tenten wasn't sure she was ready to believe her, but was willing to give her a chance to change her mind proving she and her friend really could revive Hinata.

**(thirty minutes later)**

"What the hell happened here?" says Ino, seeing the battle damage upon the ground.

"Nothing good, that's for sure" says Shikamaru. "And where's Naruto and Hinata?"

"Kakashi, can your Sharingan detect anything?" asked Jiraiya.

Kakashi had already uncovered his Sharingan and was carefully scanning the area. "I'm picking up faint traces of chakra all over the place. Most I can identify, but I'm pretty sure Naruto was here. And from what I can tell, he was calling on his Jinchuriki power."

"Then that means something seriously bad happened then" says Ino.

"Everyone, spread out and look for any clues. Leave no stone or blade of grass unchecked" orders Tsunade.

**(Sanctuary)**

The geyser of water erupts from the pool with Mada and Fuu reappearing with their home. "Fuu, hand me that pike, then take Naruto to his room for me" says Mada.

Fuu takes Naruto and hands the pike over. "So, what do we do now?"

"First, I'm gonna go break the news to Hanabi about her sister" said Mada, not looking forward to tell her. "Then I'm gonna have a look at both this charm and pike and see what I can learn from them."

"I didn't know the Order had such items in their arsenal" notes Fuu.

"That's just it. They don't...or at least this isn't anything Amarillo would approve of" says Mada.

Fuu gets a serious look on her face and says "Understood."

"Big brother?" shouts Moegi as she comes running up with Hanabi right behind her. Seeing Naruto unconscious, Moegi begins to panic and ask "What happened?"

"Come with me and I'll explain on the way" says Fuu to her, wanting to give Mada and Hanabi some alone time.

Moegi nods and follows after Fuu and Hanabi goes to follow, but Mada says "Hanabi, will you stay here with me a moment."

"Sure, master" says Hanabi, turning back and joining her teacher. "What happened to Naruto? And where's my sister?"

"I don't know what happened yet. We're gonna need to wait till Naruto wakes up and hope he can tell us. All I know is that when we arrived, he was being attacked by the Order of Ama" said Mada.

"But why? I know Hinata wouldn't allow them to do that" says Hanabi.

Mada places the pike and the charm on the ground, then kneels down and places both hands on Hanabi's shoulders. "Hanabi, I don't know how to tell you this...but..."

Hanabi looks at her confused and ask "Tell me what? Just what are...you..." And then it comes to her and she shakes her head as her eyes begin to water. "...no, please tell me I'm just overreacting..."

Mada closes her eyes and says "I'm sorry, Hanabi. But Hinata...is dead."

"My sister...she's dead?" says Hanabi in disbelief, her tears now streaming down her eyes. After a moment, she begins to shakes a make hiccup sounds and Mada wraps her into a strong hug as a cry of pain and sorrow finally escape her throat.

**(Ame)**

As usual, rain was pounding down on the capital city of Jezai, though Tenten didn't feel it hitting her as her mind was focused solely on the matter at hand. Konan had led them through various back alleys in order to avoid both the stares and questions of the populace before leading them into the cities tallest tower.

"Sakuya?" says Tenten to her former Sister. "Just how do you and Konan know each other exactly? I mean besides the fact you to have said as much, I've noticed you both use the same jutsu style."

"Me and Konan are childhood friends; both hailing from the same village. You could even say we're blood sisters" said Sakuya.

"You mean you and her did that weird ritual kids do on occasion where you prick a finger to draw blood, then press your fingers together to force the blood to mix?" asked Tenten.

"Basically, yeah" says Sakuya. "Anyways, our village was at one time the home to a kunoichi who went rouge. She had created a unique jutsu called Origami style which she passed on to the villagers as thanks for sheltering her. Though anyone could learn it, it was generally girls like the two of us who actually made the effort. The rest is history, more or less."

"Although I've always been better" says Konan.

"Like hell you are?" replies Sakuya.

After a few more minutes, Tenten suddenly realizes something. "Hey, why are we heading down? Isn't this Nagato guy higher up in the tower?"

"He has his reasons for being below right now" was all Konan would say.

After another few minutes of walking, Konan stops before a large double door, then looks back at Sakuya and Tenten and says "Nagato is inside. But before we go in, I just want yo to be prepared. Nagato's physical status is...not in the best of shape. So please refrain from staring at him as he is self conscious about it."

"As long as he can help Hinata, I won't care how he looks" says Tenten.

"I'm ready" says Sakuya, wondering how seeing another old friend will feel after all these years.

Konan nods before turning back to the door and leading them within. The room was dark but it was obvious that the room was rather large; massive even. "It has been a long time, Sakuya" comes a voice from the darkness, followed by dim lights coming to life, illuminating the chamber.

It only takes a second for Sakuya and Tenten's eyes to find Nagato. Sakuya covers her mouth in shock at what she sees of her old friend while Tenten becomes wide eyed from the view.

Nagato's skin was very pale, if not bone white. He was also very thing as well, almost like his flesh was just barely hanging onto his bones. He was making a slight wheezing sound as he breaths and they could see six black rods rising out from behind him and it was fairly obvious that they were fused into his back. The lower half of his body was contained inside a sphere that had tripodal legs.

"Long time no see, Sakuya" he says.

"Nagato...just what happened to you?" asked Sakuya.

"This is the fate he took on to gain the power to end the Makai threat once and for all" says Konan.

Tenten's eyes then notice something beyond Nagato; a massive demonic like statue and quickly ask "What is that thing behind you?"

Nagato looks back and says "That is the Gedo Mazo. Though its appearance is that of a statue, I can assure you that it feels alive."

"Is it a Makian?" asked Sakuya.

"Honestly, we're not sure on just what it is" says Konan.

"All we know is this. If we seal the nine Jinchuriki of the Biju within it, we can finally destroy the Makai Realm once and for all, finally saving this world from the demon threat forever" says Nagato.

"But Naru...I mean, I heard that destroying the Makai Realm will also destroy our world as the two have become to connected" says Tenten.

"So we have been told as well by Kyubi's Jinchuriki. But I have the assurance of a man that this won't be the case, a man who has greatly helped me and Konan in the past. And in truth, I trust his judgment more than that of a Jinchuriki who would kill his own love" says Nagato.

"Now, to the matter at hand" says Sakuya. "Nagato, can your Rinnegan revive Hinata?"

"Bring her to me and I'll see what I can do" says Nagato.

"Tenten, place Hinata on the ground and I'll take over" says Konan before raising her hands out before herself; her arms breaking down in papers. Tenten does as she's told and places Hinata down, allowing Konan's papers to fly in, pick her up, and carries her over and holds her before Nagato.

Nagato studies her careful, placing a hand on her wound. "Her death was caused by a puncture wound that took out both her heart and a lung. However, her revival is well within my power to grant."

"Really" says Tenten, finally sounding positive and energized.

"Nagato's Rinnegan holds many powers within it. One of those powers is called Rinne Tensei; which grants to user to power to fully revive the dead, with two exceptions" says Konan.

"And what are those?" asked Sakuya.

"One, their body has to be intact enough to make revival possible. And two, it can only succeed so long as twenty four hours haven't passed by since said person died. After twenty four hours, the soul is to far gone over to the other side to be recalled. At least, that's the case with Nagato" says Konan, recalling his failed attempt to revive Yahiko.

"Despite the loss of a heart and lung, my Rinne Tensei should be able to repair them and bring her back. I'll begin now" says Nagato before placing his hands over her eyes and opening them wide.

"What's he doing?" asked Tenten.

"Making an eye link with her to maximize the Rinne Tensei's power" said Konan.

Not exactly though. In truth, he didn't need to do this, but was for another reason besides her revival. Once their eyes were fully locked, Nagato activates his Rinnegan. _'Human path' _he thinks before his mind dives into Hinata's.

He finds himself within the core of of memories and waste no time looking for a specific memory which doesn't take long to find. The memory of how she died. _'Sorry, but this memory could prove hazardous to the plan' _he thinks as he makes a hand sign. _'Seal of the Rinne Ru-tien.'_

Immediately, binding threads appear and wrap themselves around the memory, causing it to become fainter and fainter to see till there was nothing left. A seal then appears upon it and Nagato then cast in deep into her psychy to insure it can never be remembered or recovered by anyone, especially the clan members of the Yaminaka clan, who could possibly recover her true memory.

With that problem dealt with, he then makes another hand sign. _'Art of the Rinne Ni-tien' _he thinks before a new memory begins to form. He then uses his mind to give this memory shape and form; the memory being of Hinata being stabbed by Naruto himself.

Once the new memory was finished, Nagato exits her mind, assured she would believe this replacement without question. Of course, only a second had passed in the real world since he had made the dive. "I'll revive her now" he says as he makes several hand signs, then places both hands over her chest.

A pulse of chakra begins passing between him and Hinata, her wound slowly beginning to close. Her skin then begins to show color as her eyes suddenly bulge as her back arches and suffers a deep intake a breath; a pained cry coming from her before she falls back unmoving.

"Hinata" shouts Tenten as she rushes forward as Hinata is lowered down onto the ground.

"Tenten, is she...?" asked Sakuya.

Tenten is down by her, checking her. She then looks back at Sakuya with a smile on her face and tears falling from her eyes. "She's unconscious, but she's alive."

"Konan, please help Tenten take Hinata to a room were she can rest comfortably" asked Nagato.

"How long will she remain asleep?" asked Sakuya.

"Hard to say. I can revive her body, but not heal her mind. That will be all up to her" said Nagato.

Tenten picks Hinata up, looks up at Nagato, and says "Thank you."

"If you'll follow me then" says Konan, leading Sakuya and Tenten out of Nagato's room.

After returning to the ground floor, Konan leads them up the the towers fourth level and shows them to a spare bed room. Tenten carefully places Hinata down on the bed, the places the covers over her, then runs her fingers through her hair.

"Tenten, I want you to stay by Hinata's side till she awakens. That is your duty as her Sister" says Sakuya.

"Of course I will" says Tenten.

"Very good. Will you be OK while I head back to the temple and report to lady Chiyo on Hinata's condition?" asked Sakuya.

Tenten wasn't thrilled by being left here without any back up, but she was willing to give these Akatsuki guys a chance after their leader saved revived Hinata. "Yeah, I be fine."

"I'll check on her every hour to see if she needs anything" says Konan reassuringly.

"I appreciate it" says Sakuya before she and Konan turn and leave Hinata and Tenten alone. After making a little distance from the room and were now standing at a balcony. "So, what now?"

After thinking for a moment, Sakuya says "Do you have any spare tower space here in Ame?"

"I'm sure we can find something; why?" asked Konan.

"If everything goes as planned back at the temple, I'll convince the others that the temple is no longer safe for us and that relocating here to be close with our new allies is for the best" says Sakuya.

"I see. In that case, I will find a tower to serve as your new base" says Konan.

"Very good" says Sakuya before her body begins to break down into paper. "I'll be back soon..."

**(Sanctuary)**

Mada sat at her work station; the dismantled sealing pike laying before her. She rubs her head and sighs before saying "Oh boy, this is far worse than I thought."

"Have you found something?" asked Fuu as she enters the room.

"Something yes, and not a good something either" says Mada. "But first, hows Naruto doing?"

"Last time I saw him he was still asleep, which was fifteen minutes ago. I asked Moegi to alert us once he wakes up" says Fuu. "What about Hanabi?"

"Her reaction was as I expected it to be, not that the knowing made the moment any easier to see. She finally cried herself to sleep and I placed her in her room so she could rest as well" says Mada.

"So, what happens now?" asked Fuu.

Mada shakes her head and says "I really don't know. Now...really isn't the time to worry about it either."

"So, what have you found out about these items we got from the Order?" asked Fuu.

"The orb on the pike contains a liquid that moves through the pike once its impaled into a Makian or Jinchuriki's body. Once inside the body, it can actually suppress demonic chakra and leave the body in a weakened state. The charm is designed to induce sleep once placed on a person. If used in tandem with the pike, the sleep will last even after the charm is removed as with Naruto" says Mada.

"So, any idea when Naruto will awaken?" asked Fuu.

Before Mada can respond, Moegi comes running in. "Hey little Mo, what's wrong?" asked Fuu.

"It's Naruto...he's gone..." says Moegi, breathing heavily.

**(location unknown-night time)**

"Look at the house burn, brother" says a weasel looking man as he peers down at the small farm house that was being consumed by fire.

"Its nothing special. A fair punishment for those fools to try to stand against us" says the older brother with a face like a warthog.

"You think they got out?" asked the younger.

"Considering we knocked the out good, I doubt it" says the older before both brothers break out laughing.

A third laugh is heard, causing them both to spin around. "It looks like you two guys seem to enjoy causing pain and suffering to others" comes a voice. Afterwords, footsteps are heard approaching them and a figure begins to take shape. "Rob them, kill them, burn their homes to the ground. Boy, you both are really dark, aren't you?" says the figure, now see-able as a blond haired teen with whisker marks on his face.

"Who are you?" shouts the older brother.

The figure, now fully exposed to moonlight to allow the brothers to see him, smiles as he says "Just a wanderer in the darkness. You know, no one special."

"Hey brother, its just some punk kid" says the younger.

"Get lost kid, before you join that family in death" says the older.

"Well, to be honest, I'm already lost...in a way. Besides that, there's something you both have that I want."

"So, you want to take our money we stole from those farmers, huh?" says the older brother before dropping the loot and running at him. "Sorry, all you'll be getting now is death."

The figure grins and says "How quaint", then easily block the attack before slamming his fist into the older brothers stomach with such force, his eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapses to his knees. The figure then places a hand before the man's chest and says "It's not money I'm after, but your darkness. Forbidden jutsu; Darkness Claim."

The figures hand glows as a swirl of darkness forms at the center of the older brothers chest; a pained groan coming from his throat as a black ooze passes from his body into the hand of the figure. Once he is done, the older brother collapses onto the ground, his eyes having gone dull and lifeless and drool flowing from his mouth.

"Not bad for my first time using my own creation, though it seems it causes the mind to be destroyed" says the figure.

"Brother" shouts the younger as he goes to attack the figure, but freezes as the figure looks at him and grins in a "your next" kind of way.

He finds himself backing up till he back against the slope looking down at the farm. "Wait, just who are you? Why are you doing this?"

The figure stops and says "Who am I? I am Yami, seeker of darkness. And as for what I want? To increase my darkness for the sake of gaining the power to achieve my goal."

Naruto Uzumaki, his eyes now back and red, has lost himself to darkness and has been possessed by his dark side. And Yami will bring terror to all who face him...and all for the sake of avenging Hinata.

**To be continued...**


	2. 2 Paint My Heart Dark 2

**Naruto Invoke; Trance Forme**

**chpt.2: Paint My Heart Dark 2**

It had been a long day for the Konoha team as they search tirelessly around the meeting spot in Fleesia Valley for any sign of what may have happened. The Order of Ama's failure to arrive at all hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone. "Do you think they moved the meeting spot to another location?" Shikamaru had asked Ino.

Ino shakes her head and says "If that was the case, Naruto would have contacted me to let us all know. What I'm worried about is that I can't make contact with him at all. My link with him has gone silent."

"Did the link get disabled?" asked Shikamaru.

Shaking her head, Ino says "No, I just can't find any thoughts coming from him."

After much searching, everyone gathered together at their arrival point as the setting sun meant that further search would soon be pointless. "So, did anyone find any clues what so ever?" asked Tsunade.

"Nothing apart from there being signs of battle here" says Jiraiya, getting nods from everyone else.

"You don't think the Order betrayed Naruto, do you?" asked Ino, worried.

"If they did, I doubt Hinata would have stood for it, unless they incapacitated her before hand" says Shikamaru.

"But would they really attack him?" asked Jiraiya.

"From what Kurenai opened up to us about in regards to the Order's true purpose, we can't rule out the possibility that they chose duty over the alliance" says Kakashi.

"One thing we know for certain is that the Order never arrived and Ino can't contact Naruto" says Tsunade before closing her eyes and giving the situation some thought.

"OK, we're heading back to Konoha for now. Staying here isn't serving us and its possible news could be waiting for us back home" says Tsunade, who then looks at Kakashi. "Kakashi, can you make a side trip to the Temple of Ama and find out why they never showed?"

"Not a problem" says Kakashi.

"Be careful while you're there. I have a bad feeling about all of this" says Tsunade.

**(Temple of Ama-thirty minutes later)**

Setsuna was waiting outside as she had sensed Sakuya's approach. Seeing the flowing papers passing through the air, approaching the temple, Setsuna realizes that it was Sakuya using her Origami style jutsu and runs out to meet her as she lands and reforms.

"Setsuna, is something wrong?" asked Sakuya, not expecting her to be waiting outside for her.

"Sakuya, you have to come quick. It's lady Chiyo" says Setsuna, partially panicked.

Sakuya, wide eyed with concern, says "Quick, take me to her." As Setsuna turns and leads Sakuya inside, Sakuya allows a faint smirk to cross her lips. _'Looks like everyone knows our great leader won't be doing her job anymore.'_

Once they had arrived at Chiyo's room, Setsuna finally speaks and says "After Ai, Kasumi, and the others returned, they told us what happened to...to Hinata. I came to report this to lady Chiyo but I couldn't get her to wake. She's still breathing...but..."

"Let me look at her" says Sakuya, approaching Chiyo and doing a fake examination on her.

After a moment, Sakuya turns back to look at Setsuna with a fake expression of sorrow on her face and says "Chiyo, she's...she's fallen into a coma."

Setsuna cups her mouth as she says "No, oh no. First Hinata, and now...lady Chiyo. But why, why is this happening to us? Is it because we were willing to trust a Jinchuriki? Because we were going to make an alliance with them?"

_'Yeah, pretty much' _thinks Sakuya. "Setsuna, please gather everyone in the main hall. I...have several announcements to make."

Setsuna nods her head, then reaches into her pocket and says "Here, I found this in lady Chiyo's hand when I found she wouldn't wake up."

Sakuya takes the piece of clothe from Setsuna who then leaves the room. Sakuya clutches the clothe in her hands and says "Good work, Konan. Good work."

Ten minutes later, Sakuya was looking over the assembled girls of the Order. After a moment to gather chakra into her throat to insure she would be heard loud and clear, she begins to speak.

"Everyone, I'm sure by now you must have heard what happened at the meeting. Hinata...our fellow Sister, has been slain...by the hands of the very Jinchuriki she wished to form an alliance with; Naruto Uzumaki."

A wave a sadness and tears come upon all the girls and many clench their fist in anger, swearing revenge.

"Though we attempted to capture him, he was rescued by his Jinchuriki sister, Fuu, and their benefactor, the elder Mada. Afterwords, my old friend Konan appeared to us and escorted me ans Tenten to Ame, where I met with another old friend, Nagato. Nagato is the one true heir to the Sage of the Six Paths for he bares the Sage's eyes; the Rinnegan. Using the power of the Rinnegan, I am happy to say Hinata has been revived and will soon make a full recover."

This brings a sigh of relief and happiness flooding the room as the girls now shed tears of joy instead of tears of sorrow.

"However, I have even more bad tidings. Lady Chiyo, our leader, has fallen into a coma. At first, I feared it may have been do to her advanced years mixed in with her current cold. But after checking her over, I found that she had been drugged somehow and that her coma was induced through this drug."

Now the room was filled with shock and dismay.

"I puzzled over this mystery for a moment, trying to figure out who could have done this as I know no one here would dare betray the Order like this. Then Setsuna gave me an object she found on Chiyo's person before; a piece of cloth torn from the sleeve or her attacker."

Sakuya then shows the girls said cloth piece.

"I recognize the design on here as matching the clothes worn by elder Mada. Though difficult, I am forced to conclude that it was elder Mada herself who placed lady Chiyo in her coma; betraying both her and us. This, in turn, makes her also guilty for Hinata's death."

Now the room was filled with outrage and anger and many of the girls started shouting revenge and saying we should never have trusted Jinchuriki. Sakuya raises her hand to quiet everyone.

"To be honest, there is a part of me that wants to say "I told ya so" in this matter. But pride and ego have no place here now; only swift action. We we have our chance to make them pay, I swear this to you. But first, there is a more pressing issue to deal with. First, with lady Chiyo unable to lead us now, I will assume leadership of this Order. If any of you feel it should be another besides me, then please speak up. Don't be afraid for I won't judge you given I honestly feel I don't deserve the position."

When no one spoke or even raised a hand, Sakuya closes her eyes and says "Thank you. I will do my best to lead this Order as Chiyo once did. And with any luck, she will one day awaken from her coma and lead us again. Now, onto another pressing issue. Because of the current situation, I have decided that staying here would be to our disadvantage. To that end, and because I have decided to accept an alliance with the Akatsuki, who's leader is the one responsible for Hinata's revival, I am moving the Order to Ame so we may be closer to our new allies as well as have their protection should Mada send her Jinchuriki after us to wipe the Order out. Are there any objections?"

When no one spoke, Sakuya says "Very well then, return to your rooms and pack your things. Then work together to collect everything of value to be transported to our new home. Because of this move, we'll be destroying the temple so its secrets can't be found by anyone else. So make sure we have everything ready to take with us."

"Lady Sakuya" says one of the girls. "I'm sensing a chakra signature coming towards us. One person."

"Then lets go see who it is and what they want" says Sakuya as she and the girls head to greet their guest.

**(Sanctuary)**

"Have you had any luck locating him, grandma?" asked Fuu.

Mada shakes her head and says "His location, no. But I can feel darkness growing within him. I fear his inner darkness, Yami, has resurfaced in light of the incident. But that doesn't appear to be the worst of it."

"What do you mean?" asked Moegi.

"I can feel the darkness within Naruto growing stronger, but in an abnormal way. I fear Yami may be invoking a forbidden jutsu those that are born of darkness know that allows them to siphon off the darkness of others to make their own stronger. This, of course, means they steal Yin chakra from their targets, resulting in the target being rendered a vegetable mentally" says Mada.

"That's bad; very very bad" says Fuu. "Is there anyway we can help him?"

"If we can find Naruto, I'm sure I'll be able to release the stolen Yin chakra from his system, though it will leave him weakened and needing time to recover. But the problem is in finding him" says Mada.

"What about Ino?" asked Moegi. "Since she and big brother have that psycho bond, she has the best chance of finding his location, right?"

"I think you mean, psychic bond there, Moegi" says Fuu. "But you're right about Ino being our best best here."

Mada nods in agreement, then says "Moegi, I want you to stay here with Hanabi and keep an eye on her. Though there's no danger in her going as dark as Naruto has, I'm still worried she herself might not try to sneak off to get revenge as well, even if she doesn't know who she's going after."

"Understood" says Moegi.

"Lets go, Fuu. We need to get to Senhana as quickly as possible" says Mada as she heads towards the portal with Fuu following right behind her.

**(Naruto...I mean, Yami)**

The sound of a man yelling could be heard coming from a cave, followed by the ripping of skin and the splattering of blood, then dead silence. A moment later, footsteps were heard approaching the entrance followed by Yami, stepping out into the moon light.

Taking in a deep breath, he then shakes his head disappointingly before saying "Boy, what a bunch of weaklings. And their darkness, wasn't even potent enough to make the effort at least break even."

He then looks down at the item he had collect. "Was this really valuable to that old man? Seems like a hunk of chunk to me. Sure, this necklace looks pretty enough on the surface, but both the gold and diamond are fake." Despite this, Yami grins and adds "Still, it must have really grouted their gourds when they found out this memento was worth less than the dirt on the ground."

While tempting to just toss this bauble off to the side and be on his way, Yami figures he does owe the old man for his information and proper protocol dictates a return. As he begins to walk, he realizes just how stupid that thought was for someone like him.

_'Oh well, life is full of contradictions.'_

After twenty minutes of walking, Yami catches sight of the old man's home and sees said man sitting at his porch, awaiting his return. Seeing Yami makes his eyes light up as he thought for sure he had sent the kid off to his death and all for just an old man's selfish desire to get back his late wife's treasure.

Coming to a stop before him, Yami tosses the necklace up to him and ask "Is this it?"

Catch the necklace, the old man tears up before clutching it to his heart and says "Yes, yes it is son. Thank you for getting this back for me."

"If you don't mind my asking, why's it so valuable to begin with? Before attacking those goons, I heard one say the gold was just iron pyrite and the diamond a well detailed piece of glass" asked Yami.

The old man looks at him and says "I know it seems funny; to make something so big off an item that is worthless where monetary value is concerned. But this was my late wife's favorite treasure, made for her by her mother when she was young as a birthday present. They were poor, but something like this still made my wife happy. It may be hard for someone as young as you to understand now, but one day you'll find a someone for you and you'll treasure the time you spend with them and mourn all the time lost once they're gone. And even something like this can be worth more than all the money in the world."

Yami looks down and says "I already know that feeling" quietly. He then looks up and says "Anyways, I'm glad you have your treasure back. Now, I better be on my way."

"Wait, I still owe you a reward. Isn't there anything you want, boy?" asked the old man.

"Just treasure that memento left to you by your wife; never let anyone ever take it from you again. That is the only thing I could ask of you" says Yami.

As he continues walking, he hears the old man shout "Thank you, boy. You are a good man."

Though Yami continues walking, those words do make him scowl in disdain. The old man had been right, that had been an act of the positive kind and he could feel his darkness beginning to weaken as a result.

_'Ah damn it, now I have to work even harder to get more power, or I'll lose control to Naruto again' _thinks Yami before sensing a powerful wave of darkness pulse through the air.

He grins as he turns to look towards the source of this darkness. "Quite a distance away, and yet strong enough to be felt from even here. Now that should sate my needs." And with that, Yami breaks into a run, heading for the source of the darkness.

**(Senhana)**

"Well Kakashi, what did lady Chiyo have to say?" asked Tsunade as the copy ninja stood before her.

"I wish I could answer that question, but I can't" says Kakashi.

"Did something happen?" asked Jiraiya.

"When I arrived there, I was greeted by Sakuya, the Order's second in command. She informed me that she was now in charge. I asked her what had happened to lady Chiyo and was told that it wasn't any business of an outsider to know. I then asked her if she knew what had happened with the meeting" says Kakashi.

Kakashi then becomes hesitant, making both Jiraiya and Tsunade become concerned. "What is it?" asked Tsunade.

"According to Sakuya, Naruto gave into the darkness of the Kyubi's power and attacked Hinata; killed her. He nearly killed them to in their efforts to capture him, but elder Mada and Fuu arrived and rescued him...and attacked them as well" says Kakashi.

"They can't be serious" shouts Jiraiya. "There's no way Naruto would ever attack Hinata, or even lose control now; not after seven months of control training."

"I said as much and I was told that the fact still remains that Hinata is dead and that its Naruto's fault. And if we of Konoha side with Naruto, then we are to consider the Order our enemies now. And given my Sharingan was able to detect their entire group was ready to attack me if ordered, I decided to pull out and report back" says Kakashi.

"So, we are even more up a creek without a paddle than before. All we know now is Hinata is dead and the Order blames Naruto. I guess all we can do now is try to contact Mada and hope she can answer the question on what happened" says Tsunade.

"I'll go fetch Ino. Even if she can't read Naruto's mind, its possible her last few mental communications with him might have allowed her to know how to reach the Sanctuary" says Kakashi, turning to leave the room.

But just as he reaches for the door handle, said door suddenly opens and Mada and Fuu swiftly enter. "On second thought, I won't be needing Ino after all" says Kakashi.

"No, you still will. Just for a different reason" says Fuu.

"Elder Mada, I'm glad to see you have come. We need answers and are hoping you have them" says Tsunade.

"I can't guarantee that, child. But I'll do what I can" says Mada.

"So, is it true? Has Hinata been killed?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yes, it is true. She and Naruto were attacked by an as of out unknown assailant and the end result was Hinata being killed by him or her" says Mada.

"Unknown, hasn't Naruto said anything yet?" asked Kakashi.

Fuu shakes her head and says "The incident ended with Naruto unconscious and us rushing back home."

"Tell me, how do you know Hinata was dead? I don't recall seeing any of you arriving when we made our escape" asked Mada.

"I sent Kakashi to the Temple of Ama to speak with Chiyo, to see if she knew what might have happened. But it appears a girl named Sakuya is in charge now and claiming Naruto killed Hinata and that we're enemies if we continue to support him" says Tsunade.

"Sakuya has taken over?" asked Mada, getting a nod from Kakashi. She then clenches her fist and grinds her teeth at hearing this. Once this matter had been settled, she would have to pay the temple a visit and find out what happened to Chiyo; and deal with Sakuya. "Did Sakuya say what happened to Chiyo?"

Kakashi shakes his head and says "Only that it wasn't any of our business."

"Mada, just how is Naruto doing now? I can't imagine Hinata's death has gone over well with him" asked Jiraiya.

"Actually, that's the reason we're here" says Fuu.

"Naruto's gone missing. I fear this event has triggered the darkness within Naruto; a darkness born during the Shadow Test when he and the other genin were sent into the Makai Realm, to resurface and take control of his body" says Mada.

"He's missing" says Tsunade. "We'll have every ninja available begin searching immediately."

"There won't be a need for that. Ino alone will be enough" says Mada.

"Ino's already tried to reach out to Naruto and apart from feeling the darkness within him, she can't determine his location" says Jiraiya.

"That won't be a problem. I can give Ino a little boost. If nothing else, it will allow her to lock in on Naruto's position and head to him on instinct" says Mada.

"Then I'll go get her then" says Kakashi.

"Bring that boy, Shikamaru, too. And anyone else who has a close and personal bond with Naruto. We may need as much familiarity with him as possible to bring him back" says Mada.

Kakashi nods then exits the room. "Lady Mada, the Order claims Naruto killed Hinata by giving into the darkness of Kyubi's power. Is there any way that could be possible?" asked Tsunade.

Mada shakes her head and says "No, as only the Kyubi's Yang chakra is sealed within him. When Naruto first started entering Mazuko Mode, he likely had more animal like tendencies about him in his thoughts and actions till his mind was able to retain consciousness, but an act like that comes from the Yin chakra, which currently isn't in Naruto."

"And besides, how would they know what happened when they weren't there" adds Fuu. "Did cyclops say who told him this?"

"Kakashi says he spoke with Sakuya and only her from the sound of it" says Jiraiya.

"Then its very likely Sakuya knows what really happened and is using this and Hinata's death to spread her hatred of Jinchuriki to the other girls" says Mada.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Tsunade.

"We find Naruto, then find someway to reach beyond the darkness and bring him back to the surface. After that? We simply do our best to help him cope with Hinata's death or risk the Yami returning again" says Mada.

**(Ame)**

"Are you doing OK, Tenten?" asked Konan, bringing the young girl some food and drink.

"I'm fine; it's Hinata I'm worried about" says Tenten as Konan lays the food tray on the table beside the bed, getting a "thank you" from Tenten.

"Understandable; but make sure you don't ignore your own bodily needs. Hinata won't be happy when she wakes up and finds you sick due to worrying about her" says Konan.

"Yeah, I know..." says Tenten.

Konan watches her a moment, then ask "Do you hate him?"

"Huh?" asked Tenten.

"Naruto, do you hate him...for what he did to her?" asked Konan.

"Yes, yes I do hate him with my whole being" says Tenten. "At least, that's how I feel right now. But deep down, I know it wasn't really him, but the demonic power that's to blame. I know Naruto himself would never hurt her. That just makes this all the more complicated."

"Yes, it does..." says Konan. "Listen, I'm gonna let you in on a secret. But don't tell Sakuya as I doubt she'll be happy to hear it, given her hatred for Jinchuriki and all."

"What is it?" asked Tenten.

"Me and Nagato have a theory about the Gedo Mazo; that it might be possible to use it to free their Jinchuriki of their burden once we have achieved our goals of destroying the Makai Realm. But its an untested theory and even if it does work, it might not give them back their full lives though" said Konan.

"I think Hinata will like that" says Tenten, brushing Hinata's hair with her fingers. "She loves him with all her heart and not even this will change that fact."

"What do you mean?" asked Konan.

"I'm saying Hinata won't let this stop her from loving him. She'll know it wasn't him who attacked her but the demon within. And she won't stop till she's able to find a way to help him" says Tenten.

"I see" says Konan. "She really does loves him, huh? Well, I better get back to work. I'll be back to check in on you two in a few hours."

Once Konan had left the room, she thinks _'I better alert Nagato of this. Its possible we may have to implement extreme measures if we are to get her to work with us.'_

Back inside, Tenten's eating is interrupted as she hears Hinata moan ever so slightly. Quickly looking at her, Tenten sees Hinata's body move ever so slightly and even a faintest movement of her eyes beneath the lids. She was wanting to wake up.

"Hinata, please wake up soon" says Tenten.

**(Yami)**

The latest target in Yami's search for darkness falls to the ground, suffering the same fate as the others to have crossed paths with him. Yami took a moment to feel that man's darkness merging with his own inside and smiled at what he was feeling.

This one had been a true work of art where darkness was concerned. A heart blacker than night, stained with such grotesque sin and evil that it made his body tingle. The actions he had enacted this night alone insured his soul would burn for eternity, to say nothing of the over all.

"So close, just a little more and I will be ready for him" says Yami, opening and clenching his fist.

The question was where to look now? With sunrise fast approaching, the truly bad would likely crawl into the shadows to await the next night. But there had to be a few bad apples roaming the daylight he could feed upon. A sudden feeling within his mind turns his head to look to his right, a smile crossing his lips.

"I think I know where I'll get the rest of my needed darkness enrichment..." says Yami as Ino, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Iruka, Shikamaru, Mada, and Fuu coming landing all around him.

"...by killing you all, I will finally have what I need. After all, killing your friends is a really dark act" says Yami, licking his lips.

He was so gonna enjoy this...

**to be continued...**


	3. 3 Paint My Heart Dark 3

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.3: Paint My Heart Dark 3**

Hanabi's eyes opened and she groggily takes in her environment. _'Where am I? And why is my pillow wet?' _she wondered before picking herself up and looking around.

Realizing her cheeks were just as wet and her eyes sore, she reaches up and realizes that she had been crying in her sleep. This realization brings back the reason behind her tears to the forefront of her memory. Sniffling as fresh tears begin to form, Hanabi wipes the tears from her eyes then gets up.

Walking out of her room, Hanabi makes for the bathroom so she can splash water in her face. Once she had done that, she decides that she wants to see Naruto and quickly heads to his room. But upon arriving, she finds his room empty. Wondering if he is with Mada and the others, Hanabi heads to the exit to go out into the Sanctuary.

Upside, Moegi hears Hanabi's approach and turns to the stairway just in time to see her emerge from below. "Hanabi, you're awake" says Moegi before running over to her. "Are you doing OK?"

"I'm OK, more or less given all that's happened" says Hanabi, managing to keep her tears in check. "Do you know where Naruto is? I...I want to talk with him."

"Big brother?" says Moegi, hesitating on what to tell her. "I think he's still sleeping in his room. I could go check for you but I don't think waking him would be a good..."

"Why are you lying?" asked Hanabi suddenly.

"Me, lying? Why would I lie, Hanabi?" asked Moegi.

"Because I already went to his room when I first woke up. He wasn't there. And don't think I didn't hear the hesitation in your voice when you first answered me either. What's happened, Moegi. Where's Naruto? And master and Fuu too?" says Hanabi, her voice now more serious and earnest.

Moegi sighs, then says "Sorry, I didn't mean to lie. I just wasn't sure if granny would want to worry you with this right now."

"What's happened? Please Moegi, tell me" asked Hanabi.

Moegi sighs and says "Alright, I'll tell you. Big brother took Hinata's death hard, like you have. But in brothers case, the loss triggered his darkness to resurface and take control of him. The Yami then snuck out of Sanctuary and we don't know were he went, though granny and Fuu both believe he may have gone after Hinata's killer. To that end, they decided to go to Konoha to get Ino so she can use her psychic link with brother to help track him down."

"Naruto?" says Hanabi, holding a closed hand against her heart as she closes her eyes. She then opens them and gives Moegi a serious look. "Can you locate him for me?"

"Huh?" says Moegi, surprised.

"I asked if you can find Naruto yourself?" says Hanabi.

"Well, I guess I can. I am able to detect brother's presence by way of the darkness coming off of him. But I can't be sure which direction to go in so I won't know if I'm heading in the right direction unless my sense of him becomes stronger. And that may not happen unless I get very close to him. Its the same with granny and Fuu, which is why they went to get Ino" says Moegi.

"That's still better than nothing. Moegi, please help me find Naruto" asked Hanabi.

The serious look in her eyes made refusal impossible for Moegi, though she knew Mada wouldn't approve. "OK, I'll do my best. But Hanabi, even if we can find him, how can you be sure we'll be able to help Naruto overcome his Yami not that it has taken control?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I just feel...I know I need to find him" says Hanabi.

"Then let's go" says Moegi, entering her Mazuko Mode, then has Hanabi piggy back her before exiting the Sanctuary at top speed.

**(with Yami and the rest)**

"Guys, we're getting close" says Ino, feeling Naruto's presence nearly upon them.

"OK everyone, remember the game plan" says Mada, getting a nod from everyone. She then looks back at Ino and says "Don't forget, you must stay back and let the others fight Yami. Your job is solely to keep probing his mind and hope you can find Naruto's consciousness while he's being kept busy by everyone."

"I know" says Ino, clenching her fist. "I have to succeed, for Naruto's sake."

A second later, they all emerge from a cliff face and their eyes quickly fall onto Yami in the valley below, standing over his latest target. Yami looks to them, a smile appearing on his face, and says "I think I know where I'll get the rest of my needed darkness enrichment..."

Tsunade, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Iruka, Shikamaru, and Fuu surround him while Ino and Mada hang back. "...by killing you all, I will finally have what I need. After all, killing your friends is a really dark act" says Yami, licking his lips.

"You've come to save you, Naruto" says Fuu.

"Yeah, I suppose he does need saving, doesn't he?" chuckles Yami as he looks at each one of them. "Question is; do any of you have what it takes to do the job?"

"Be careful, everyone. The aura he's giving off is filled with killing intent" warns Kakashi.

"To be expected of a being born of darkness" says Jiraiya.

"Which is why we can't fail here" adds Tsunade.

"Naruto" shouts Iruka. "I know you can hear us. Please, fight back. Don't let this thing destroy everything you are."

"Ouch, calling someone a thing can really hurt their feelings, Iruka-sensei. Not that a thing like me has feelings, right?" asked Yami. "And just to let you know, it won't be me that destroys everything he is. That guy Pain already did that when he killed that poor little Hinata."

"Now I see" says Mada. "Those damn Akatsuki..."

Yami spreads his arms wide and says aloud "Well, who's gonna come at me first? I think it obvious words alone won't bring the slumbering hero back to the surface."

"I''ll start" says Iruka, pulling the massive shuriken from off his back, then leaping into the air and hurling at Yami.

Yami scoffs as he easily side steps that, but then notices the glint of thread coming off the shuriken, realizing that Iruka had planned on his dodge. Jerking his hand hard to the side, Iruka causes the shuriken to go from a directional attack to a swinging attack, one Yami barely is able to raise his arm up in time to block, though the block does cut deep into his arm due to the shuriken's sharpness.

_'He does keep his ninja tools especially sharpened, according to Naruto's memories' _thinks Yami as Tsunade comes next, her raised fist sent sailing into the ground, forcing Yami to jump back, clear of her ground smashing attack.

Tsunade's attack against the earth causes large clumps of it to be blown into the air, which she immediately launches several punches and kicks to send each rocketing at Yami with bullet like speed. Though he manages to dodge these as well, his cheek is cut from a to close a call with a smaller piece.

Just as Yami prepares to attack her, he hears Jiraiya speak up and turns his head to see his cheeks bulge. "Toad oil" says Jiraiya, vomiting up a massive amount of brown goop. Yami goes to jump clear, but Iruka comes in from behind him and kicks him, sending him flying into the oil, being saturated by it.

"Sorry Naruto, please forgive us" says Kakashi before making a hand sign. "Fire style, Fire Ball jutsu" he says before slamming a huge ball of fire into the oil, igniting both it and Yami in a scorching blaze. Yami howls in pain as his burning body fumbles around before finally collapsing.

"Naruto" shouts Ino, but stops herself from running to him due to recalling Mada's words before.

"_When we find Yami, don't hold back against him. Treat him as you would any enemy of the village and don't fear injury or death. As he is half Uzumaki, the bloodline of that clan will give him better survival odds than most. Plus, Kyubi's chakra will heal any injury he suffers. Worse case scenario, I'll heal anything Kyubi's power cannot."_

She just hoped Mada had been right.

"Ino, try it now" says Mada from where she's standing.

"Right" says Ino before making a hand sign and sending herself diving into Naruto's mind.

Tsunade, having seen enough, douses Yami with a heavy blast of water style, then approaches his unmoving form as does the others. From what they could see, Naruto's flesh was charred and cracked, though it appeared he was still alive due to the weak and raspy breathing they could hear.

Iruka gets to him first and kneels down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, please forgive us..."

"Um...NO!" says Yami suddenly.

Before Iruka can react, he feels a deep pain in his stomach, caused by Yami puncturing him with his hand. Iruka coughs up blood as Yami looks up at him, gets back on his feet, then frees his hand followed by kicking Iruka with a spin kick hard to the face, sending him spinning and slamming into the ground, knocked out and blood pouring from his wound onto the ground.

"Got you" says Yami as the burnt, cracked skin falls away, revealing he had just tricked them. "You know, that was pretty nasty of you guys. Trying to burn me all for Naruto's sake. You do recall this is HIS body after all? Yeesh, some friends you are. Oh well, what can ya do...oh, I know"

A glint is seen as Yami's eyes as he says in a cold tone "Do unto you as you did unto me."

He goes to attack Jiraiya first, but finds his movements hindered by some unseen force. For a split second, he is confused till he recalls Shikamaru is present as well as what his jutsu style was. Turning his head, he sees Shikamaru look up from his hand sign and give him a wry smile. "Shadow Possession jutsu, complete."

Yami doesn't have a chance to scowl, or do anything else as he feels an attack coming. Turning his head back, he is just able to see Tsunade land a bone breaking hit off him which sends him flying. Unable to gain control due to Shikamaru, Yami can only brace himself as Kakashi comes running in with blinding speed as he pierces him with a Lightning Blade.

"Forgive me, Naruto" says Kakashi sadly as Yami finds himself coughing up blood. The attack had been aimed at his chest, just missing his heart by mere inches.

"Tsunade, see to Iruka" shouts Jiraiya, though Tsunade was already moving towards him following her attack against Yami. Jiraiya then pulls out a special seal he prepared beforehand as he approaches Yami and Kakashi.

"This will end you, Yami" says Jiraiya. "This seal will absorb all the negative Yin chakra that makes up your existence. Time to get Naruto back..." he says as he places the seal on Naruto's forehead.

"You would think so, huh?" says Yami from the cliff top above them.

Before they can react, the Yami who was being held by Kakashi explodes suddenly, sending both Kakashi and Jiraiya flying back, their bodies partially covered now by a black smoke like substance.

"Dangerous thing about ninja's or having ninja like skills. It's always hard to know when you're faced with the real McCoy or a shadow clone" points out Yami before jumping down to rejoin them.

"Damn, when did he create the clone?" wonders Shikamaru aloud.

"When, you ask?" ponders Yami. "I guess it was when they tried to roast me like a chicken sandwich."

Jiraiya and Kakashi try to move, but find their bodies feeling very heavy and unresponsive. Yami looks at them and says "Good luck with that. My clone was made from pure Yin chakra. That smoke stuff you're covered with now is also a byproduct of Yin chakra. And you might want to get it off quickly...before you find yourselves getting a taste of the darker side of life."

_'Gotta stop him' _thinks Shikamaru as he sends his shadow stretching out to capture Yami with a Shadow Bind jutsu, but Yami just shakes his head and says "Sorry, not this time" and jumps clear of the attack.

Shikamaru tries to redirect the shadow attack, but Yami manages to stay just ahead of it, then he goes rushing right at Shikamaru as a Rasengan forms in his hand. Shikamaru breaks off his attack to dodge, but Yami's speed suddenly increases, leaving a shocked look on his face as Yami hits him with the Rasengan and blasting him back.

Yami then goes to attack Jiraiya next, but stops as he realizes something important. Mada had yet to involve herself which was odd. If anything, she should have not only attacked by now, but she was also the most likely candidate to be a serious threat to him.

Looking, he finds she was standing at the same place she had been since she and the others had first arrived. "What? To good to attack me yourself? Don't tell me your scared, fossil granny?"

When Mada doesn't reply, he scowls and ask "Is this your way to make fun of me" before zapping over to her, slamming a fist into her stomach and sending her flying back.

When she simply falls onto the ground, he cocks his head in confusion. Was she really that weak? Why hadn't she at least tried to dodge or block him? A flash of realization comes over him. "Is it because you had to fight those two guys outside Ame?"

Yami pretty much knew all that Naruto knew, which is why he was aware that Mada had tapped into some unknown power at that time. Had that brought on unseen consequences for her? Maybe it was a case of once she tapped into that power, she couldn't just return it to its state of rest. And since he also recalled her saying how she had been wanting to save her true power for something more important, perhaps she needed to avoid battle for fear that fighting would lead to more loss of this power she was trying to conserve.

A sudden pulse in his head makes him wince in pain. He turns immediately to look at Ino, realizing she had managed to break through into the deeper recesses of his mind. A realization comes to him. While he believed his initial assessment on Mada's lack of involvement thus far was accurate, he now suspected that another reason was that she was somehow giving Ino a boost, despite the lack of physical contact between them. Nevertheless, he couldn't ignore Ino no longer.

"OK, you're next" says Yami as he begins to walk towards her.

**(Order of Ama)**

Clouds prevented the light of sunrise from being noticeable outside the temple as the girls packed the last of their possessions into the wagons. Now, all that was left with lady Chiyo, which Sakuya herself was dealing with as she emerges from the temple, holding their comatose leader in her arms.

Once she had placed Chiyo in the last of the carriages, she looks up to the sky as a light rain begins to fall. She then looks at Kumi and ask "Has everything been collected?"

Kumi nods and says "Triple checked and everything. If there is anything left, then its something only Hinata, Tenten, or lady Chiyo herself would know about."

"Lets just hope they didn't have anything hidden" says Sakuya.

After a pause, she says "Everyone, look upon the temple one last time." Each of the girls do so, allowing a silent tear to fall as Sakuya steps forward. "What I do now is difficult, but it is also something that must been done...for our order to move into the future."

Sakuya, along with her seven Shades, had placed thousands of paper bombs all across the temple in key points. Sakuya then makes a hand sign, triggering the all the paper bombs to detonate. For a moment, there is nothing. Then, the sound of explosions is finally heard as windows our blown out and small sections of wall shoot outwards. For just a brief moment, the temple remains, and then it collapses in on itself, leaving nothing but a ruined rubble in its place.

"Our home..." says Ai.

"There's no going back now" says Sakuya. She then begins walking and says "Come girls, we have a long road ahead of us to reach our new home. Lets not keep Hinata and Tenten waiting."

And with that, the Order of Ama leave what's left of their temple and begin the journey to Ame.

**(Ino's mind scape)**

Success were Ino's thoughts as she managed to finally crack the shell of Yami's mind, with a little help from Mada. She now found herself passing through a dark haze that was his mind, desperately searching for any sign of light; of Naruto. She even shouted out his name as she dived, hoping he might hear her and respond. But there was nothing but the sound of a howling wind blasting her ears.

And then, she was forced to stop as she hovered over a tar like sea of darkness. Placing her mental hands against her head, she reaches out even more and finds she could just barely since Naruto's mind within the dark tar like sea. _"Yeah, who wants easy" _says Ino before diving into the tar sea.

It was cold, far colder than anything she thought possible. And she felt like she was gonna suffocate if she remained in this place for long. But her mind was strong and she was determined to not fail. Not matter what, she would find him and pull him free from this.

And then, she finally sees him; hunched into a fetal position and floating within the tar sea. Coming to a stop before him, Ino can easily see the tears falling from his eyes; the pained look etched into his face. _"Naruto...I'm here"_ says Ino as she reaches out to him.

Just as her hand is about to touch him, another hand forms from the darkness and grabs her wrist. The touch burns her wrist like fire and Ino cries out from the pain as Yami's face appears. _"Naughty little girl, don't you know its bad manners to intrude in another persons mental world. Here, let me help show you out."_

Ino then finds herself then being overcome by darkness which blast her out and away from Naruto; her scream of agony from the darkness drowned out by the darkness. Back in the outside, Ino's eyes shoot open and she collapses to her knees, gasping for air as she shivers from the after affect brought on by the cold darkness.

"Nice try, mind reader" gloats Yami, looking down at Ino as she picks herself up.

_'Naruto, Naruto, please wake up'_ comes Ino's mental pleas, hoping he might hear her after coming so close to reaching him and making Yami growl in annoyance before moving at her.

"Ino, watch out" shouts Shikamaru as he struggles to pick himself up from the Rasengan hit.

Ino's eyes open, only to cry out as Yami grabs her and slams her back against the cliff face. "So beautiful, trying to get into my head again, are you? I don't mind so long as you let me get into your head...and every other part of you to boot" says Yami in a dark and lusty tone.

"Naruto, please wake up. This isn't you..." says Ino desperately.

"No, its a lot better" says Yami before violently kissing Ino, who's eyes begin to water as he forcibly slides his tongue into her mouth.

Despite the situation, Ino is unable to stop a slight moan to escape her before her eyes go wide; bulging while her body starts to shake. Yami breaks the kiss, leaving a train of saliva connecting them then gives her a wry smile. "Did you enjoy that, pet?"

"...naru..." says Ino, her voice week as she falls to her knees while her body continues to shake. Somehow, Yami had used that kiss to paralyze her entire body.

Yami chuckles as he looks down at her. "So eager you are, pet." He looks back and sees Jiraiya and Kakashi having recovered, using their chakra to free themselves of the dark smoke. "Just give me a moment. It'll only take a minute to deal with them."

He then looks back at her, the most evil smile etched on her face, and says "And then I'll come back and deal with you...over many long hours."

"There you go" says Tsunade as she finish's up on Iruka. "I've stopped the bleeding, but your can't stay in this fight without risk."

"I understand" says Iruka. "Go, help Shikamaru."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine" says Shikamaru. "But Naruto...he's the one that needs help the most."

"Alright" says Tsunade as she gets to her feet and charges Yami as well.

"A three on one direct attack, huh? Bring it on...wait, are we missing someone?" wonders Yami aloud, realizing that he hadn't seen Fuu at all since their arrival.

"**I was wondering when you were gonna remember me, jerk" **shouts Fuu, slamming into Yami from behind and knocking him to the ground. Then, before he can recover, Fuu produces her chakra wings and begins attacking Yami with intense sound waves, one loud enough to scramble even his mind a bit.

"Quick, place the seal on him before his Mazuko Mode adapts" orders Fuu.

"Right" says Jiraiya, pulling the seal out and moving to place it on Naruto's forehead.

"Mazuko Mode? Just what makes you assume I'm in Mazuko Mode?" asked Yami suddenly.

Despite being hit by the sound waves as well, Jiraiya is able to maintain focus as he begins to press the seal against Naruto, but a sudden blast of dark chakra throws him back. And then, despite the sound waves, Yami manages to stand.

"Was it my eyes? Because they are red? What about my normal pupils or lack of a chakra cloak? Fine, you want a Mazuko Mode...**Then I will give it to you**" says Yami before his body is enveloped by chakra.

Everyone is forced to cover their eyes from a blinding flash of light and once they are able to look upon Yami again, they experience of moment of pure fear. Yami is surrounded by a cloak of black chakra, his arms having turned into pure chakra, and his eyes nothing but glowing burning crimson, and four chakra tails swinging behind him.

Yami chuckles evilly, then ask **"What do you think? Perhaps I can call this my Mazudaemon Mode? Allow me to test it out on you so I may see if it will be worth using against the PAIN."**

"**Naruto, you must..." **says Fuu, before Yami goes from standing below her to being right in front of her, a Rasengan in his hands, which he slams into her Mazuko Mask, blowing it apart and sending Fuu spinning into the earth, the attack and impact leaving blood gash's all across her face.

Yami lands as Jiraiya launches a stream of his hair senbon jutsu shooting at him. But Yami's chakra cloak deflects that attack and he rushes Jiraiya, sending a slashing swipe at his stomach, leaving a bloody gash upon his chest

Kakashi tries next with another Chidori, but Yami simply catches his attack with a open hand, dispelling the attack. **"I just realized something. You always use your left hand for you Lightning Blade. Allow me to do something about that..." **And then, with one quick stroke, Yami uses his free hand to effortlessly slice Kakashi's arm off, just below the elbow, then he spins around and forms a Rasengan which he slams into him, severally injuring him.

"STOP IT" screams Tsunade as Yami tosses Kakashi's hand to the side, but Yami just dodges around her attack and plants a deep hole in her stomach, making her collapses onto the ground.

"**I was expecting better" **says Yami, chakra claws growing from his cloak and each holding a Rasengan in their grasp. There was one for everyone present, save Ino. After all, he wasn't done with her yet not would he be for some time.

A presence from behind him makes him sigh.** "So, fossil granny, you finally joining in?"**

"You leave me no choice, Yami" says Mada, having returned to her feet. "I was hoping I wouldn't need to do this, but it seems I must." Her words were true enough as she didn't want to waste any more battle energy until she had find HIM. But given the current situation, she was left with little choice left.

Her body begins to glow as she says "Allow me to show you, just what it is I can really do..."

"Big brother" comes Moegi's voice as she, with Hanabi on her back, land between Yami and Mada.

"Moegi, what are you doing here? And why did you bring Hanabi to such a place?" shouts Mada.

Once Hanabi had hopped off her back, Moegi looks back and says "**Sorry, but Hanabi insisted.**"

"**So, the little sisters have come to play too. This will be fun" **says Yami.

Moegi looks back at Yami and thinks _'Big brother, what's happened to you. Why do you look so dark?'_

"Moegi, please stay back while I talk with him" says Hanabi suddenly, stepping away from Moegi and walking towards Yami.

"Hanabi, wait" shouts Mada.

"**You can't face him alone" **adds Moegi, seeing what Yami has done to the others.

Hanabi just stops and looks back at them and says "Please, let me do this." She then turns and faces Yami, a defiant look on her face. "Naruto, why are you doing this? Why are you plunging yourself so far and deep into the darkness? Is it because Hinata, my sister, is dead? Is it for the sake of revenge?"

"**Those reasons are why I'm here now, doing what I'm doing" **says Yami. **"To become strong enough to avenge her, I must increase my own darkness and I am close to achieving that goal."**

Hanabi nods and says "I understand..." After a moments pause, she adds "In that case, I have a request of you. If you need more darkness to avenge her, then please...take my life for your cause."

Naturally, everyone hears this and is shocked by Hanabi's words, even Yami. **"Why do you offer your life for this?"**

"Isn't the answer obvious? If you kill me, the sister of the girl you love and wish to avenge, wouldn't such an act be truly dark in nature? Wouldn't it be potent enough to give you the darkness you need?" asked Hanabi.

Yami gives her a puzzled look, then burst out laughing, hard. **"You're right, you're so absolutely right, Hanabi. To kill Hinata's little sister and all for avenging her would be a dark deed unlike any other. Very well, I accept your offer."**

"**Oh no you don't"** shouts Moegi, lunging at Yami, who easily swats her off to the side with enough force to leave her dazed. Mada goes to move herself as she is the only one left who can, but Hanabi looks back at her and, seeing her expression, makes Mada suddenly realize what it is she's planning.

"**And now, little sister of Hinata...Your life is mine" roars Yami as he charges her, his hand spread wide to kill her with one blow.** The words of Jiraiya, Shikamaru, and the others ignored as he swings his hand down onto the killing blow.

And then, his attack just stops dead, a mere inch from Hanabi's head. **"WHAT?"**says Yami, shocked that his attack had frozen like that. In that instant, two things become clear to him. One, not once as he was coming at her did Hanabi close her eyes and look away. She kept her gaze locked on him with eyes not filled with a resignation of death, but a confidence that he wouldn't strike her down. And the other was that Naruto's consciousness had been stirred and that it was Naruto himself who had halted his action.

"Naruto..." says Hanabi before reaching her hand up and caressing his cheek. Despite the black chakra cloak covering his body, Hanabi doesn't feel any pain from the touch. "Please Naruto, don't fall like this. Don't become a monster like the one that killed my sister. I can't bare to see you like this. None of us can, which is why they came here, all for you. And my sister, she wouldn't want this either."

Yami growls as he struggles to move. **_'Damn it Naruto, stop interfering with me...'_**

_'….no, I won't let you go any farther than this. I won't let you kill her' _came Naruto's reply.

As tears begin to fall from Hanabi's eyes, she adds "My sister loved you and I know you loved her too. So please, don't let that love you two shared become something dark and evil. She wouldn't want that, couldn't bare to see it. Naruto, please, don't make her cry..."

With Hanabi's words, the black chakra cloak burst from existence and Yami screams in a rage as he once again finds himself being pushed and suppressed deep down inside while Naruto returns to the surface and to control. Tears begin to fall from his eyes as he says "I...I just wanted to avenge her. Hinata...she didn't deserve to die..." He then collapses to his knees.

"I know" says Hanabi before embracing him in a hug, both crying hard as a rain begins to fall down on them. To the side, Mada breaths a sigh of relief, then smiles before going to attend to Tsunade and the others injuries.

_'Thank you, Hanabi' _she says as a thought crosses her mind, bringing with it an unexpected question.

**(Ame)**

A motion brought Tenten back to consciousness, bringing an end to her slumber. Opening her eyes and looking around, she quickly realizes that Hinata is sitting up. This brings her to being fully awake as she herself sit up and says excitedly "Hinata, you're awake. Are you OK?"

Hinata slowly turns to look at her, her eyes mist and a little empty, which she was told might happen when she first woke up. "Where am I?" she ask in a monotone sounding voice.

**To be continued...**


	4. 4 Hearts Break Heal

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.4: Hearts Break Heal**

It was now later in the after noon within Senhana and Tsunade, despite being tired, was back to work. After Hanabi's success at bringing Naruto back from Yami's control, Mada had helped Tsunade heal the others. Mada had offered to help her too, but she had already activated her Mitotic Regeneration jutsu to reverse her wounds. Shikamaru and Iruka would be fine, more or less. But Jiraiya would have have a nasty scar on his chest the rest of his life and Kakashi, so his arm had been reattached, would have a faint ring running around the spot it had been cut at and Mada had informed him it would need a few days to be restored to full usage.

All in all, they had gotten off lucky there. And thanks to Jiraiya's seal, Mada had been able to pull out all the excess darkness Yami had stolen, then Mada had placed a special Yin suppression seal on Naruto to insure Yami couldn't resurface while Naruto's mind was healing.

But the question was; would his mind be able to heal? What happened to Hinata had been bad enough. But now Naruto had the added guilt of knowing what he...or rather, Yami, had done. Not that it would make a difference to Naruto in the end. She knew that he would blame himself for Yami's control.

As for Fuu and Moegi? Mada had assured her both would be fine, seeing as they were Jinchuriki and that their Biju power would insure they healed completely with time. That just left one problem left.

"The Akatsuki..." mumbled Tsunade, crossing her hand together on her desk and resting her face against them. Mada had told her her suspicions, based on what Yami had said. It was clear now that the Akatsuki had somehow learned of the meeting and had attacked Naruto and Hinata; and action that left Hinata dead. Before they had set off, Mada had warned her to be on guard as the Akatsuki likely would one day come to Konoha, looking for Naruto. Also, she should alert the other villages who were working with Konoha to keep tabs on the going on's within Ame of this threat as well.

A knock at her door snaps her from her thoughts. "Come in" she says.

Shizune, looking very pregnant with her and Jiraiya's child enters the room followed by Ino. "Shizune, I thought you took the day off to be with Jiraiya?"

"I did, but he insisted I don't let him keep me from my duties seeing as I'm head of the medical corpse. Besides, its best I put in as much work as I can now before the baby comes and gives me an excuse to slack off for a few months" says Shizune, unable to repress a smile.

"What about you, Ino?" asked Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, I'd like to request a special mission if I may" asked Ino.

Tsunade nods as she begins rummaging through mission sheets and says "Sure, if you need something to take your mind off the current situation. I'm sure I have something you can..."

"Actually, I already know what mission I need to do. I just need approval from my Hokage" says Ino.

Both hearing and seeing the seriousness within Ino's words and eyes makes Tsunade ask "What is it?"

**(Ame)**

Tenten stood on a balcony, looking out over the city. As usual, there was a fair raining coming down and it was a little cold, but Tenten didn't notice either of these things as both the rain and cold actually felt good against her skin right now. Besides, her mind was lost in other matters.

"Tenten, what are you doing standing out here for? You could catch pneumonia" says Konan, walking out to join her.

"Uh?" says Tenten, jumping a bit. "Damn, miss Konan. Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry, sorry, says Konan teasingly. "Please, just call me Konan though. Adding the miss at the beginning makes me feel like an old lady."

"Alright, Konan" says Tenten.

"Now, back to my previous question. Why are you out here in the rain and cold? I would think you'd be glued to Hinata's side, especially now that she's awake and all" asked Konan.

"I know; I should be with her right now. But...Hinata just wanted some time alone. Needed it actually" says Tenten, recalling Hinata's reaction to when she recalled what had happened between her and Naruto back in Fleesia Valley.

When she had first woken up, Hinata had been disoriented and confused. Understandable seeing as she had been dead not long before. She had even asked Tenten why she was here now, where were they, and where was Naruto. When Tenten had asked her if she remembered what had happened back in the valley, Hinata had started to say no, but then froze up as the memory came rushing back to her.

She then began to cry, shaking her head and saying "no" repeatedly, not wanting to accept what she was seeing; refusing even. Tenten had tried to talk to her, to calm her down despite not sure as to what she could say. But her words proved no help as Hinata pretty much broke down into hysteria, crying and even screaming a little due to the emotional pain the memory of Naruto killing her was causing.

In the end, Tenten had been forced to flee the room, unable to bare seeing Hinata like this. She had regretted that decision and had wanted to go back in immediately, but her guilt born from her running out to begin with kept her from returning, instead she had come to this balcony and had started brooding until Konan had come.

"I can't imagine this being easy for her. She must have really loved him which only makes the reality of the moment all the harder to bare" says Konan.

"Yeah, she did" says Tenten. "I need to go back. I need to let her know she's not alone in this."

Tenten goes to leave, but is stopped as Konan places a hand on her shoulder, then shakes her head. "I know something about the pain of loss, believe me. While its true she could use a comforting hand right now, I also believe it would be better to leave her alone for just a little while more."

"But why?" asked Tenten.

"One way or another, she's gonna have to come to terms with this. In a way, she will need help to do this, but she must also want to as well. And that can't happen unless she decides to do this herself, not having the choice forced on her. That's why she needs the alone time; to take that first step we call coming to terms with the harsh reality" says Konan.

"I don't know..." says Tenten, not sure what to do. She recalls when her parents and brother had been killed; how she had wanted to be alone so no one would see her cry. But, in her mind, she always wondered if this may have driven her guardian, Han, away to begin with; her pushing him away due to her own pain.

"Besides, I have a task for you" says Konan, bringing Tenten from her thoughts.

"What is it?" asked Tenten.

"My eyes in the sky have picked up your Order nearing Ame. They'll be arriving within two hours. I have managed to find a suitable location for your new home and I'd like you to come inspect it for me. Besides, I'm sure Sakuya will appreciate it if you already have a firm idea of what needs to go where when they arrive. Don't you?" asked Konan.

"I guess you're right" says Tenten, then nodding. "OK, lead the way."

Meanwhile, in her darkened room, Hinata is sitting at the center of her bed, her feet held firmly against her chest, her arms crossed over her knees and her face buried against her arms. "Why, Naruto...why, Naruto..." she repeats over and over, the tears refusing to stop falling.

**(Sanctuary)**

Mada sat in her chair, looking up at an aurora borialis the shown brightly in the sky above. This was the main reason she was glad this place was chosen to be Sanctuary. At night, with the northern lights in the sky, the crystal ice trees shimmering like a Christmas tree made this place so beautiful at night.

"Grandma, how long have you been back?" asked Fuu, as she came up from the underground chambers.

"Not long. Twenty minutes at best" replied Mada.

"So, what happened when you got to the temple? Is Chiyo OK?" asked Fuu, sitting next to her.

"There...is no temple anymore. I imagine Sakuya ordered the Order to relocate and, as a safety precaution, had the temple destroyed. There's nothing left of the surface areas" says Mada.

"What about the underground areas? And where would she have taken them?" asked Fuu.

"The underground is strong and won't have been damaged. But with the upper temple lost, access to the under temple will have been rendered impossible now. As for where they could have gone, I can only assume Sakuya had relocated the Order to Ame, to be with her Akatsuki friends" says Mada.

"Things just keep getting more complicated, huh? Boy, I miss the simpler times" says Fuu whimsically.

"That's just life for you; simplicity must always give way to complexity. That's just how it is" says Mada, who then looks at Fuu and places a hand gently against her cheek. "So, is your face feeling OK?"

"It still hurts a little. But its nothing I can't handle. I'm just glad the Biju chakra within me will fully fix me up, otherwise I'd have some pretty nasty scars and I'd never get a boyfriend then" jokes Fuu.

"Well, as long as you're OK. Then that's fine" says Mada.

"By the way, where are Naruto and Hanabi? I didn't see either of them in their rooms. I went to ask Moegi, but you know waking her up is impossible, as loud as she snores. You don't think he snuck out again, do you?" asked Fuu, a little concerned.

Mada shakes her head and says "Yami would try to leave again. But I made sure he won't be a problem for a time. No, after you fell asleep and before I left, I decided to place them both inside a Casteopa; the Floating Gardens to be more exact. I felt the quiet, serenity of that place would make it the perfect place for the both of them to begin healing."

"Both of them together, huh? Well, Hanabi was the only one who could free Naruto from Yami's hold, so I guess if anyone can help him, its her. And vice versa too" notes Fuu.

Mada sighs, then says "Actually, it could be far more than that."

"What do you mean?" asked Fuu.

"Moegi told me that it was Hanabi who had helped her find Naruto. Somehow, she had known what directions to go and Moegi had trusted her and followed her commands. Also, like you yourself said, it was Hanabi and Hanabi alone who was able to bring him back from darkness. And that's not all..."

After a moments pause, Mada continues. "As I told you before, I've learned that Hanabi also has the Byakugan gene in her, much like her sister Hinata has. But whereas Hinata's was active, Hanabi's was dormant, but it still makes Hanabi the back up to her sister in case something ever happened to Hinata and we needed that backup to finish saving the world."

"Yeah, I remember. But I still don't get where you are going here" says Fuu.

"To be honest, I find myself wondering if their roles were reversed by accident; that it was actually Hanabi who was meant to have the active Byakugan and Hinata be her backup. Though hard to imagine, Hanabi's ability to know where to find Naruto and to be able to reach him says a lot about the bond between them, and they haven't even spent all that much time together yet either" says Mada.

"I guess you're right, but to say Naruto and Hinata didn't have a bond like that would be a lie. Is it just possible both sisters have a sixth sense about them where Naruto's concerned? A Naruto sense that makes it easy for the both of them to find him and communicate with him in ways others can"? Asked Fuu.

"Maybe that's..." Mada starts to say, but stops as both she and Fuu feel someone passing through the portal. Getting up, they move towards the portal to see who is paying them a surprise visit.

"Ino?" says Fuu, catching sight of the blond haired kunoichi. "What are you doing here?"

"Officially, I'm on a mission for lady Tsunade, though it was a mission I both requested and thought of to be honest. Unofficially, I came here to see Naruto" says Ino.

"May I ask why?" asked Mada.

"Before, when we were facing him...I mean, Yami. I wanted so badly to help him, to free his mind from Yami's darkness. I failed and that makes me feel like I failed him, both as a fellow ninja of Konoha and more importantly, as his friend. That's why I'm here now. I know that, despite being free from Yami's grasp, he is still suffering, still lost in the dark. I...I want to do what I can to help him, no matter what I have to do or how long it takes. I don't want him to stay in that sad place anymore" says Ino.

"Wait, just how did you find this place to begin with?" asked Fuu.

"Well, I did tell Tsunade, Jiraiya, ans Kakashi how to reach us here and I can assume Tsunade told her when she made this mission official" says Mada.

"Actually, I already knew the how before...all this went down. When I was acting as a relay for all of you when the meeting was being set up, I was able to see the secret of entering Sanctuary by accident" says Ino. She then looks into Mada's eyes and ask "So, can I see him, please?"

Mada nods and says "Go, do what you can for him, my dear. While it was only Hanabi who could break him free, maybe it will be you who can help him move forward from this tragedy."

Mada then turns her body and points to the descending stairs and says "Go down there and follow the hall way all the way to its end. Enter the door there and you'll enter the vault of the Casteopa. Naruto will be inside the Casteopa sitting on the pedestal in the center. To get inside, just place your hand upon the orb and will yourself to be inside, it will do the rest. To exit, just simply do the reverse and will yourself to leave. Understand?"

Ino nods, having already gotten a good idea from Naruto's memories when she learned how to access the Sanctuary. "Thank you" she says before running towards the stairs.

"Shouldn't you have told her that Hanabi was in there as well?" asked Fuu.

"I'm sure she'll notice once she's inside" says Mada.

**(a few minutes later, within the Casteopa)**

When Ino opens her eyes, she first thinks she is back outside with Mada and Fuu as it was night time. But then she realizes the sky was completely different in here than it was outside. Turning around, her eyes go wide at what she sees.

A massive structure stood before her, its design a series of interlocking circles both connect to one another and rising above each other like a spiral. And in each section or circle, there was a different floral arrangement and matching trees. This Floating Garden, a name that now made sense to her, was truly a beautiful sight to see.

Gulping at the thought of trying to find Naruto in such a huge place, she closes her eyes again and reaches out to him. Though he doesn't respond directly, she is able to feel him within this place; a sensation she knew could lead her right to him. So, she opens her eyes and runs into the Garden.

Inside the second circle, Hanabi sat by a fountain of running water, her fingers holding an anemone delicately with her fingers. This place was beautiful, exotic even. The fragrance of the flowers filled the air and made her feel more at peace. She now understood why Mada had placed them in here. If ever there was a place that could help ones body, mind, heart, and even their soul heal, this was surely it.

_'I wonder if Naruto is doing OK?' _wonders Hanabi; hoping this place was having a good effect on him as it was on her.

The sound of foot steps hitting the stone path catches her attention and she turns to look behind her in time to catch Ino passing by her towards the path that lead the the third tier of the garden. Ino hadn't seen her as she had been to focused on the path ahead.

"Who was that?" wonders Hanabi, quietly to herself. After a quick moment to think, she realizes who it was she had seen. "Was that miss Ino? I wonder why she's here?" Curious, Hanabi gets up and follows after her, assuming her reason for being here was connected to Naruto.

Soon enough, Ino arrives at the seventh tier of the garden, the highest of the circles and begins to look around. The flowers and trees in this tier were all unknown to her. Finally, she sees Naruto sitting on a bench centered on an island surrounded by a pond, the water running down canals and passing to the lower circles.

His head was angled down, looking at the ground, and he was unmoving. Ino approaches him, hoping she wouldn't spook him, then stops and kneels down in front of him. "Hey Naruto, its me...Ino."

Naruto doesn't respond and Ino tries again, still getting no response. Ino then reaches up and places her index and middle fingers under his chin and tilts his head up enough to see into his eyes. They were open and, as far as she could tell, he was awake. But his eyes were cloudy and distant; lacking light and focus. Yami may not be a momentary threat, but it was obvious he was still lost in the darkness.

Hanabi finally arrives topside and quickly spies Ino kneeling before Naruto. Though she wanted to walk over and ask her if she could help Naruto, something was suddenly making her feel very self conscious and she instead finds a large bush to hide behind and watch her.

"Oh Naruto, I hate seeing you like this" says Ino, feeling tears beginning to fall from her eyes. Surely, there had to be something she could do, anything that would make him come back from the dark. And then, an idea comes to mind.

She looks away, mentally debating about her idea. Could it work? Maybe as it was the best idea she felt she would have. But at the same time, she had to ask herself if it was right or not; if it would be appropriate. Ino shakes her head and thinks _'Right or wrong, if this can help him, I'll do it_._ And if it is wrong, then I will bare the burden. Its the least I can do for you.'_

Her choice made, her path set, Ino opens her mind and connects with Naruto, calling upon all the power her clans jutsu can give her.

From Naruto's perspective, all he could see was the dark. And he could hear not a thing. Then, for just a moment, he feels something in the air he vaguely responds to. After that, everything becomes misty and then he hears a voice. "Why are you sad, Naruto?"

_'That voice? Hinata? No, it can't be' _he thinks.

"Do you really think so?" comes Hinata's voice again.

Naruto looks up on impulse and sees her standing before him, a smile on her face. "Hinata? No, you can't be here. You...you died, I saw you..."

Hinata reaches out and caresses his cheek, then says "Just because I died doesn't mean I'm not with you. No matter what, Naruto. I will always be with you."

"Hinata..." says Naruto, his eyes watering before leaning forward and wrapping her into a tight hug, afraid that he would lose her again if he lets up. "Hinata...I...miss you, I'm sorry...so, so sorry I couldn't protect you, save you. Please, forgive me" he cried.

Hinata looks at him affectionately as she hugs him back. "There's nothing to forgive. You did nothing wrong, Naruto. Quite the contrary. Its because of you my life was so full and rich, so meaningful. You gave me so much, Naruto. I could never hope to repay you for that kindness."

"Hinata...thank you" says Naruto.

The hug ends and Hinata looks him in the eyes. "Naruto, I know you're sad and hurting. But please, don't let me be the reason you lock away your heart and stop living life. I need you to carry on and be happy. Do it for me if nothing else. Live a life filled with happiness and joy for the both of us."

"I'll try...I mean, I will, Hinata. For you, I will" says Naruto. Naruto then sees Hinata flicker for a moment, then says "Do you have to leave so soon?"

"When the morning sun rises, I will have to go. But for now, I can stay here with you and we can make a few more memories with one another to take with us into tomorrow" says Hinata.

"Then please, let me make the most of this short time" asked Naruto as he stands.

"Anything you want, Naruto" says Hinata.

Naruto then reaches out and draws her close to him. "I never got to say this before...before you...died. But I need to say this now or I might never get the chance again." After a quick pause, Naruto says "I love you, Hinata."

Hinata blushes as she says "I love you too, Naruto."

And then, the embrace in a passionate kiss. In a way, Naruto knew that this wasn't real, that it was either an illusion caused by this place or maybe a dream; maybe he had fallen asleep. But right now, he didn't care. Be it a dream or illusion, he was being given another moment with Hinata.

And for him, that was enough...

It was early the next morning when Mada saw Ino emerge from the underground. She had remained awake all night while Fuu had fallen asleep and was resting on her lap. Looking at Ino, she could tell the young kunoichi was tired due to her ragged appearance. Her hair was also messy and her clothes ruffled a bit.

"Are you OK, child?" she asked.

Ino nods, then yawns. "Just tired. And ready to head home to my bed."

"If you want, you can rest here before heading home. We do have plenty of room for you" says Mada.

She shakes her head and says "I'll be fine, lady Mada. Besides, I need to heading off anyways."

Was it because of Naruto? Had he done something without realizing it? "How is Naruto, dear?"

"He's sleeping right now. I'm not really sure if I was able to help him, but we'll know soon enough when he awakens. But, could you do me a favor" asked Ino.

"What is it?" asked Mada.

"Could you keep my being hear a secret from him?" asked Ino.

This request came as a surprise to Mada who asked "Why would you want to keep it a secret?"

"To be honest, I'm worried that he might suffer a relapse and fall back into his state of lost. But, if he believes he came to this moment of his own accord, then he may be able to start moving forward again. And that is the important thing here" says Ino.

"I understand" says Mada, feeling there may be more to it than that, but not wanting to push the matter further. "I will keep your time here secret. I'll make sure Fuu knows this as well. Have a safe travel home, Ino."

"Thank you" says Ino, bowing before her then walking towards the portal. Once she arrives, she looks back, a single tear in her eye, and says "Goodbye, Naruto..."

**(Ame)**

"OK everyone, I broken you into teams. Here are your work sheets. We need to get set up in our new home as quickly as possible so we can get back to business" says Sakuya, addressing the others. The girls nod and walk up to posting on the wall, finding who was on who's team and learning what it was their team was expected to do.

"Good work on deciding our set up, Tenten. You have quite a knack for the details" praised Sakuya, looking to her right.

"I guess this is one of the few advantages to having a noble upbringing" says Tenten.

"So, hows Hinata doing?" asked Sakuya.

"She awake, which is a start. And shes taken this about as well as can be expected" says Tenten.

"I'll go see her later. After all, I can relate to her over what she's going through" says Sakuya.

"By the way, Konan said she wanted to see both you and Hinata once Hinata is ready" says Tenten.

"About what?" asked Sakuya.

"She didn't say, so I guess its a personal matter" says Tenten.

"I'll go have a talk with her then. You're in charge till I get back" says Sakuya before heading out.

**(Sanctuary)**

It was later in the day and Mada had gone into another Casteopa to watch Fuu and Moegi train together. But it was getting late and they had decided to call it a day. Exiting the Casteopa, Moegi looks to the one Naruto and Hanabi were in and ask "Can we go check in on Naruto and Hanabi? I'm worried about them."

"I don't see why not" says Fuu, walking over and touching the orb. But she quickly pulls away and says "Grandma, I can't detect either of them inside the Casteopa."

Becoming worried, Mada quickly exits the room and races outside with Fuu and Moegi right behind her. Coming outside, they see Hanabi standing at the center of the tree circle, looking towards the portal. "Hanabi, what's going on? Where's Naruto" asked Mada.

Hanabi looks at her and says "He's left for a while."

"What?" shouts Fuu before swearing under her breath. "Damn it, Naruto. When I get..."

"It's OK, he'll be back soon" says Hanabi, quieting Fuu.

"Do you know where he went, Hanabi?" asked Mada.

Hanabi nods and says "Yeah, I do." She then looks back at the portal.

"He's gone on a walkabout to find clarity and a new purpose for his life."

**to be continued...**


	5. 5 Spiral Walkabout 1

**(earlier that day)**

The Vault of the Casteopa was silent and empty, save for the rows of Casteopa along the wall. But then, there was a light that came from one Casteopa, sitting on a central pedestal in the room, followed by Naruto coming out from within. His eyes were dull, but more aware than before.

He looks around and sees no one in the small room. He then walks forward and exits the room, entering the long hallway filled with doors that led to other rooms and ending on the far side with stars that led up to the surface of Sanctuary. He proceeds to and up the steps.

Now on the surface, Naruto makes his way to the center of the main area, surrounded by the crystal trees. After looking around and finding no one else, Naruto begins walking towards the portal pool. "Naruto, are you leaving again?" comes a voice from close by.

Naruto stops and looks over to see Hanabi, standing at the top of the stairs, looking at him. "Yeah, I have to go" he says.

"Are you going after him again? To avenge Hinata?" asked Hanabi.

Naruto shakes his head, then says "No, at least not now. With the way things are now, the way I am now, I would only lose the fight and be captured. That won't solve anything nor bring justice for Hinata."

"Then where are you going then?" asked Hanabi.

Naruto gives a forced laugh, then says "You know, I really don't know. For what I am doing, there isn't really a set destination for me. Only a journey of self discovery."

"You mean like a walkabout?" asked Hanabi.

Naruto gives her question some thought, then says "Yeah, a walkabout. I think that's the name mentioned in one of those books about life before the Age of Darkness."

"Stories and Legends of Syndia" says Hanabi, saying the name of the book in question. "I didn't know you had read that one."

"During my seven months here training, I used my free time to broaden my horizons and improve my understanding of the world in general. If memory serves, Syndia is the name of the small continent far south of Shumoa and Antana" says Naruto.

Hanabi nods, then ask "Naruto, why do you have to go on this walkabout?"

"Because I don't know what to do know, where to go from here. Before, in my mind, I could see my goals and desire; my dreams like mountains in the distance. But now, all I can see is a never ending stretch of flat emptiness in all directions."

"When I...we lost Hinata, I also lost my reason to keep going. And worse, this allowed Yami to resurface and he nearly killed ancient granny, Fuu, granny Tsunade, pervy sage, Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru, Ino, and Moegi. If not for you, I may very well have. Its funny though" says Naruto.

"How so?" asked Hanabi.

"When I faced Yami before in the Chamber of Self, he warned me about the darkness, how easy it is to give in and fall. At the time, I thought I could keep myself in check and I didn't take his warning seriously, even forgetting about it. I should have taken his warning more seriously..."

"We all make mistakes, Naruto. It's what we do after the fact that determines if we can learn from the and grow or be stupid and repeat them over and over" says Hanabi.

Naruto nods, then looks back towards the portal. "Which brings us back to our original topic. I'm going on this walkabout to find clarity, purpose. I know that somewhere out there I will find an answer and then, I will finally be able to move forward again, start living again...for both myself and for her too."

"Then I'll come with you" says Hanabi.

Naruto shakes his head and says "We both know your place is here, training with ancient granny. If you come with me, then you'll only delay your training. And we both know delaying it would be a bad thing."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" says Hanabi. "So, I wasn't the only one who's sensed that fact."

After a moment, Hanabi ask "Will you be OK out there?"

Naruto gives her a smile and says "Hey, its me we're talking about here."

Hanabi smiles as well and says "Exactly", then runs forward and hugs him. "Please, stay safe, Naruto. I don't want to lose you like I lost my sister."

Naruto pats Hanabi on the head and says "Don't worry, you won't."

Once Hanabi had pulled away, Naruto says "Be back soon..."

Hanabi watches as Naruto passes through the pool portal, then continues to stand there as Mada and Fuu coming running up, looking for the both of them.

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.5: Spiral Walkabout 1**

"What's a walkabout?" asked Fuu, unfamiliar with the word.

"Long ago, before the Age of Darkness, it was a custom of the Aborigine tribes to Syndia to send their children on a spirit journey, or walkabout, when they came of age. They would travel around with no set destination set to them, simply searching where ever it was their feet took them, waiting for a moment when the would have an epiphany, a moment of perfectly clarity that would show them what it is they must do with their lives from that day forth. Then, they could return home, their walkabout complete, and finally be considered adults. A walkabout is also something a person who has become lost in life can take on to rediscover the path they've wandered off from" explains Mada.

"Doesn't it also have something to do with the wanderlines?" asked Hanabi. "I never really finished reading that part of the book."

"In a way" says Mada, impressed with both Hanabi and even Naruto's awareness of these things. "I'll explain more in detail later on."

"So, what do we do now?" asked Moegi.

"Fuu, you and Moegi will be training together for the time being. Hanabi, if you're ready, I'll begin training you more seriously now."

Hanabi nods and says "That's why I'm still here instead of with him"

"Will Naruto be fine?" asked Fuu.

"All we can do is trust in him while doing what we can to help him when the time comes for the larger events coming. Lets get moving, my children" says Mada.

**(Ame)**

Sakuya stepped into Konan's room, both surprised and yet not surprised by the sheer number of origami hanging down from the ceiling and along the wall. _'Boy, have you got yourself an obsession here, Nani.' _Seeing Konan standing at her own private balcony, Sakuya walks over to join her.

"Tenten said you wanted to see me. What's up?" she asked.

Konan turns to her and says "Me and Nagato have been talking and felt it was time we welcomed you official into our little family. We want to make you an Akatsuki."

"I...I'm honored. But am I worthy of such a position? Seeing what you've told me about your other members and the fact you are the Origami style specialist around here, I fee I'd just be dead weight" says Sakuya.

"Nonsense" says Konan, shaking her head. "If not for you leaving to join the Order of Ama, you would have joined the Akatsuki when Yahiko founded it, right?"

Sakuya looks at her, then laughs and says "I guess you're right about that."

"Besides, both me and Nagato agree it will be fine. You have plenty of talents beyond the Origami style that can benefit the group greatly" says Konan. "You Slayer training for example."

"Well, when you put it like that. I accept" says Sakuya.

"I had a feeling you would. So I took the liberty of having this ready for you" says Konan, presenting Sakuya with her own Akatsuki cloak, which Sakuya waste no time putting it on.

"So, how does it fit?" asked Konan.

""Like a glove" says Sakuya. "By the way, you wanted something with Hinata as well. I asked her if she would join me, but...she's not ready to see anyone yet."

"Understandable" says Konan. "And also right, we do have a request for her. We would also like for her to join the Akatsuki as well."

"May I ask why?"

"Nagato is the Sage's heir. And according to your Order's belief, the one who possesses the Byakugan is meant to stand by the heir as his partner. And since Hinata has the Byakugan, she is meant to stand by Nagato's side. Thus, making her an Akatsuki as well is a natural step" says Konan.

"I don't know..." says Sakuya, shaking her head. "Despite being killed by...Naruto, there's still a chance she may care for him, love him even and is still in a state of denial. And even when she finally decides to accept...our truth on the matter, she may not have it in her to hunt him, capture him, and be apart of sealing him within the Gedo. Even if it can mean the salvation of his soul, she may not have the will to do it."

"That is why you must make her see and understand what it is she must do. Convince her that this is the only path she can and must walk" says Konan.

"Easier said than done, old friend" says Konan.

"Oh, I don't know about that" says Konan. "After all, you betrayed the Order, put Chiyo in a coma, knew about our plan to disrupt the meeting, convinced your girls that Naruto killed Hinata and that elder Mada put Chiyo into her coma, and got them to relocate here to Ame, and even got them to go along with destroying the temple itself. For one who can do all that, getting one fragile little girl, in a state of mental and emotional weakness at the moment, to come around to our way of thinking. It should be easy with the right words."

"And you were always good with words" adds Konan.

Sakuya looks at her, then smiles deviously. "You know me to well. Give me a few days, a week at most, and I will have her begging to join the Akatsuki."

**(Naruto)**

It had been four days since Naruto had left Sanctuary and Naruto currently found himself carefully walking through an area filled with many rocky hills and deep gorges that was difficult to traverse. Not that he was in a hurry of course seeing as he was just exploring a new area on his walkabout right now.

It had occurred to him shortly after leaving that he hadn't prepared anything for this trip. No rations, no water bottles, not even spare clothes or money. Just what he had on him which was simply the clothes on his back. Luckily, his training as a ninja was serving him well; enabling him to live off the land well enough to survive.

Seeing a rather deep decent before him and large boulders to his sides. Naruto allows himself a moment to stop and rest, giving some thought on how he should proceed. Should he try going down into this particular gorge, risking a rather nasty tumble because of the steepness or even finding himself having to back track should the gorge have no eventual exit point? Or should he turn back and find another route? Decisions, decisions.

A scream suddenly comes up from the gorge below, alerting Naruto to trouble. There was no doubt that scream was that of a girl. Squinting his eyes, Naruto is just able to make out a figure running along the bottom, followed very closely by several gray blurs Naruto assumed were hungry wolves.

"Looks like the choice has been made for me" says Naruto before moving onto the steep hill. Unfortunately, the first step Naruto takes here happens to bring his foot down on a round, loose rock. And the moment he lifts his other foot, the rock rolls and Naruto finds himself, predictably, rolling rapidly down the hill.

In the gorge below, the girl in question jumps over several large stones that were in her way, hoping they would slow the hungry pack following behind her. Looking back, she finds no such luck in her hope as the beast are able easily get around the stones due to their smaller and nimbler sizes.

And then a problem occurs when she runs out of running room in the form of a steep wall of stone, one more vertical than was possible for someone like her to climb. Turning back, she finds the pack of eight wolves slowly advancing on her, their fangs dripping in saliva. Obviously, they were hungry.

She gulps on instinct before pressing herself back against the vertical stone wall and quickly racks her brain on what she could possibly do to get out of this situation. "Boy, she wished her sensei was here right now. He could take care of these things easily.

Mustering up as much courage as she can, she says "Y-You better stay back. I'm a p-powerful and f-fierce kunoichi. So if you don't want m-me to hurt you, you'll leave me alone."

Like that would fool anyone, not that the wolves understood her words. But if they had, its likely they would have laughed at her, if that itself was possible. The head of the pack snarls as they take up position; readying to pounce her and have a much needed meal.

"OK, I w-warned you guys. You leave me k-know choice here" says the girl before making a hand sign, then says "Water style, Raging Stream jutsu." She then breathes in deeply, the puffs her cheeks before releasing a stream of water from her mouth...well, it was more like a trickle of water.

In fact, to be brutally honest, with her standing on one leg while the other was being held at an angle and her hands still making the hand sign, the girl looked like a very lifelike statue on a fountain, sans the fountain of course; a statue that was designed to release water from some part of its body.

It would be rather comical if it wasn't so sad.

The girl stops her attack, chuckles nervously as she rubs the back of her head, then ask "So, did that scare you guys?"

Apparently not as the head wolf comes lunging at her and all she can do is duck down and scream, knowing it was then end for her.

"Please, save me...Utakata-sensei" she cries out in a last bit of desperation.

For the girl, it felt like the end was taking an eternity to come for her. But then, she heard a yelping sound and she opens her eyes to see what had happened. She then sees a boy, dressed in black with an orange spiral design on the back of his jacket standing atop of the head wolf's back. The wolf, she assumed, was either dead or seriously injured.

The other wolves now come at Naruto, who pulls out his Shift Anchor's and proceeds to take each one of them out. Once the wolf pack was no more, he turns back to the girl and ask "You OK?"

The girl sighs in relief, placing her hand over her racing heart and says "Thank you, I thought I was a goner there for a second...not that I couldn't have taken them if I needed to, mind you. I was just...ah, having an off day is all."

"Right..." says Naruto, not buying her claim one bit. Still, he didn't want her to feel bad so he adds "Well, we all have rough days from time to time. So, do you need help getting out of here?"

"Not really" says the girl before remembering the rock wall she was currently leaning back against. "Well, maybe a little. It would save me a little trouble trying to find my way back out of here."

"OK then" says Naruto walking over and feeling the wall. Though it might be a little tricky, he was nevertheless confident he could walk up the wall. "Pardon me" he says, taking the girl into his arms then proceeding up to the top of the stone wall, exiting the gorge.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but why were you down there, being chased by wolves?" asked Naruto.

"I was looking for a special flower that grows in this area. I managed to find one and even get it. The problem was that it was inside a den of wolves who didn't take kindly to my being in there" says the girl.

"And I'm guessing you didn't know it was a home to wolves you were walking into?" asked Naruto.

The girl becomes nervous, her facial features being more than enough to tell him the truth. "Ah...yeah, exactly. I didn't know till after the fact."

_'You knew there were wolves around all along' _thinks Naruto blandly.

"Anyways, thanks for saving me, sir. Can I ask you your name?" asked the girl.

"Its Naruto; Naruto Uzumaki. And you?" asked Naruto.

"Me? My name is Hotaru Tsuchigumo" said Hotaru. "This may be a bit rude on my part, but is it OK if I ask why you were down in the gorge to begin with?"

"I was in the gorge because I heard your scream. Before, I was just passing through the area. No set destination. I'm just on a journey to find myself" says Naruto.

Hotaru cocks her head to the side and says to herself "A journey with no destination? I don't really get it but whatever. I need to be getting back before my sensei becomes worried."

"Your sensei? Wait, are you a kunoichi?" asked Naruto, realizing he wasn't seeing a village symbol anywhere on her nor a forehead protector.

Hotaru shakes her head and says "Now, I'm not a kunoichi...technically speaking as I don't belong to any of the five hidden villages. But my sensei is a ninja from Kiri."

"A ninja from Kiri" says Naruto to himself, then recalls hearing Hotaru say Utakata-sensei just before he had landed on the attacking wolf. _'Wait, does she mean...?'_

**(not far away)**

Bubbles filled the air as Utakata lay back upon the ground, gazing up at the sky and seeing what images his mind could come up with for all the weirdly shaped clouds. He blew out some more bubbles before sighing. Just what was taking that annoying girl so long anyways?

He knew he should never have accepted the assignment for lady Mizukage. But he had been bored with his sensei off on an important S-ranked mission with several other Jonin and he had wanted to escape from their hidden village below the large Undine Lake and get both fresh air and some sun.

The mission had been a simple enough venture. Meet up with a young girl named Hotaru and escort her to a holy mountain which would be a seven day trip there and back. Simple, right? What a laugh. From the moment he had met her, she had been pestering him over and over to take her on as his student, despite only being a newly minted Chunin, calling him Utakata-sensei. She had even been a little flirtatious with him, trying to seduce him into taking her on as his student.

"Five more minutes" he says to himself. _'And then I'm calling this mission a fail and going home.'_

"Utakata-sensei" comes her loud and, in his mind, annoying voice, getting him to look in her direction as she comes running towards him.

_'Damn, I should have gone with five seconds' _thinks Utakata before getting up. The moment she's close enough, he conks her hard on the head, which makes her immediately cry out "ouch" then crouch down, hands on the spot he had conked and her eyes water.

"What was that for, Utakata-sensei you meanie" complains Hotaru.

"Cut that out, you know that didn't hurt that much. What took you so long?" asked Utakata.

She huffs at him for a moment, then stands up and says "Well, I was attacked by a pack of wild, perverted wolves. They wanted to eat me obviously, but I saw in their eyes they wanted to do other, more perverted things to me to. Not that I don't blame them." She then uses her arms to makes her already well developed chest stick out even more, making Utakata look away to hide the blush rising up.

"Anyway, that's another reason why you need to start training me, Utakata-sensei" pleads Hotaru.

Utakata sighs, then says "For the last time, I am not training you. My mission is clear, to take you for purifiction. Nothing more, nothing less...wait a minute."

"So, you will train me after all?" asked Hotaru hopefully.

"NO!" shouts Utakata. "I was wondering how you made it back if you got attacked by wolves?"

"Huh?" says Hotaru, realizing she had forgotten all about her rescuer, who she had left behind when she came running back here. She laughs nervously and says "I guess I forgot all about him..."

"That's a nice way to put it" says Naruto, popping in and surprising Hotaru enough to make her scream a little. Naruto looks at Utakata and says "I feel sorry for you there, buddy" commenting on Hotaru's personality. "But its good to see you again."

"Naruto?" says Utakata, getting a nod in response. Utakata actually smiles a little and says. "Well, its nice to see an old friend again."

"Wait, you mean you two are old friends?" asked Hotaru.

"Well, actually. We first met about nine months ago, during the Shadow Test. I guess we became friends during that time" says Utakata to her. He then looks at Naruto and ask "So, what are you doing out here? On a mission? And how are your two village mates; Ino and Shikamaru, doing."

"You have a few minutes?" asked Naruto.

Ten minutes later, Naruto was finishing up filling Utakata in on all that had happened since the Shadow Test with him and Utakata, in turn, had filled Naruto in on the fuller scope on his mission. Hotaru had asked Naruto a few questions, but was currently focused on making lunch for the three of them; one of her more appealing talents, notes Utakata, her cooking skills.

"She's quite a piece of work, huh?" says Naruto, looking at Hotaru.

"That's a nice way of putting it" says Utakata. "Wanna do me a favor and escort her the rest of the way to the purifacation mountain?"

"I could, but we both know she'd just run off to find you and make you do it" says Naruto.

Utakata sighs and says "Yeah, you're right about that."

"So, she wants you to train her in ninjutsu, huh?" asked Naruto.

"Annoyingly so. No matter how many times I say no, she just keeps badgering me on and on about it. I guess she has the mindset that if you ask enough, you'll eventually get a yes just to shut her up" says Utakata.

"Hey, I have an idea" says Naruto.

"Do tell" says Utakata. Naruto then explains his idea quietly and Utakata finds himself admitting that it could work. At the very least, it was worth a shot.

Soon enough, lunch was served and soon eaten. "So, Utakata-sensei, did that meal convince you to take me on as you apprentice now?"

While he wanted to say "no, quit asking me already", he instead decides to try out Naruto's idea. "Alright, I'll take you on as my student..."

"Really?" says Hotaru before standing and jumping excitedly in the air, screaming "hooray" over and over again.

"...but, there is something you need to know, Hotaru" adds Utakata, getting her cheering session to stops.

"What is it?" asked Hotaru.

"If I am to train you as a kunoichi, then I have to put you through the full training requirements expected by my village" says Utakata.

"Not a problem" she says excitedly.

"Don't be so sure about that" says Naruto. "All ninja villages have a very specific training protocol set up for kunoichi to undergo; its mandatory." '_Well, not anymore in Konoha though' _he mentally adds.

"You see, Hotaru..." says Utakata. "...all kunoichi have to undergo sex training at some point during their time of learning. For kunoichi of Kiri, it is to make sure that if, in the event you are captured and raped by an enemy ninja, you won't accidentally give up important village secrets. Even though you aren't technically a Kiri nin, you'd still have to undergo sex training regardless."

"I have to...have sex training?" says Hotaru, her voice far from enthusiastic now, which made Utakata smile inside.

_'That was easy' _he thinks.

"Correct, Hotaru. An entire month of non stop training you'll have to endure" adds Naruto.

"Uh...um...who would I have to train with?" she asked, a little frightened and ready to give up asking.

Utakata scratches his head, then says "Well, the kunoichi is usually given the power to choose her partner herself. If in the event her choice isn't available and she is unable to choose another, then the village heads will choose for her."

"A kunoichi can choose anyone...even her own sensei?" she asked.

"Sure, so long as her sensei is male...I mean" says Utakata, suddenly realizing his blunder as Naruto slaps his head in disbelief.

Hotaru's expression changes from reservation to excitement, grabbing and wrapping herself around Utakata's arm, saying "Then I accept, Utakata-sensei...my future master...and lover." And to make sure he gets her meaning, she makes she he can feel the space between her large breast.

This was the last straw for Utakata.

"Ah, that's it. I am so out of here" shouts Utakata, pushing her off him, then forming a bubble around himself and floating into the sky before she can get back to him. He looks back down at her and says "You can make it the rest of the way, yourself."

"Oh no you don't, Utakata-sensei. You aren't escaping me that easily" shouts Hotaru before swiping a Shift Anchor from a surprised Naruto, then chucking it at the bubble, making it pop the balloon and sending him crashing to the ground.

Utakata picks himself up, groaning from the pain caused by the impact. He then turns and sees Hotaru coming towards him like grease lightning and suffers an eye bulging freak out episode before jumping back to his feet and making like a bat out of hell to keep her at a distance.

"Please, train me, Utakata-sensei. I need you so badly" cries out Hotaru.

"Ah, some one please save me from this crazy chick" screams Utakata, fearing for his very life, and his virginity.

Naruto watches them race off and laughs a little. "Poor, Utakata. It must be rough being popular." He then smiles and says "Oh well, might as well follow them for now. If nothing else, it'll be anything but boring." And with that, Naruto follows after them.

Once he had gone, a figure steps out from behind a tree and looks to the direction the three had run off to. "You seem to be enjoying yourself, lady Hotaru" says the figure in a scornful and vindictive tone before following after them.

**To be continued...**


	6. 6 Spiral Walkabout 2

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.6: Spiral Walkabout 2**

The sun was beginning to set as the three travelers decided to set up camp for the night. "Tomorrow, we'll finally arrive at the purification site" said Utakata, relieved this mission was coming to an end.

"You must be pretty happy to finally be arriving" says Naruto.

Hotaru sighs as she slumps forward. "Yeah, I guess..." she says halfheartedly. She was happy to finally be arriving after such a tiring walk, but it was making her sad to for it meant that she would soon be parted from Utakata and that was making her heart ache badly.

It was this heart ache that was confusing her so. At first, she was fully focused on getting him to teach her various jutsu, despite the chance someone back home could do that. And yet, her feelings on parting ways with him was far more potent for her than simply that. Was it possible that, somewhere along this week long trip, she had grown that attached to him? Had she even started to develop feelings for him?

Utakata lays back and begins blowing bubbles to pass the time as Hotaru says "I guess I'll make us some dinner then." As she begins to work, Naruto watches her and can feel the sad vibes coming off her.

It is then he realizes something important. During the three days he had spent with them, he had yet to find out why she was being sent to this mountain to begin with apart it had something to do with a purification ritual. Was she a priestess in training? She sure didn't look like it so he decides to ask her.

Getting up, he walks over to her. "Hey, can I ask you something...if its not to personal of me."

Hotaru looks at him and says "Sure, what is it?"

"I was wondering why your going on this purification ritual for? Are you a priestess in training or something?" asked Naruto.

Before Hotaru can answer, Utakata speaks up and says "Sorry Naruto, but that information is classified. To be honest, just letting you tag along is really a no-no here. I've just decided to bend that rule because it gives me someone to talk to."

"Hey, what am I? Chop liver or something?" asked Hotaru.

"No comment" says Utakata, going back to bubble blowing.

Hotaru huffs, then goes back to work on cooking, mumbling something about giving him the crusty part of their dinner tonight. Naruto goes over and sits by Utakata and says "I have a thought."

"What's that?" asked Utakata.

"Why don't you train Hotaru after all" says Naruto.

"Oh no, not you too. Why are you suddenly taking her side in this matter?" asked Utakata.

Naruto shakes his head and says "I'm not. I'm just thinking that seeing as tomorrow will be the day you drop her off, then return to the village. You can at least teach her one jutsu. When I saved her, she tried to use a Raging Stream jutsu. Maybe at least teach her how to do that one and in exchange, she won't ask you again."

"I don't know..." says Utakata.

"OK boys, dinner is served" says Hotaru, walking over to them.

Once dinner was done and Hotaru was cleaning up, Naruto nudges Utakata who sighs and decides to get this over with. "Hey, Hotaru..." he says, getting to his feet.

She stops what she doing and looks back and ask "Yes, Utakata-sensei?"

"Once you're done with that...would you want to come with me and...do a little training" he says the last part as quickly and quietly as possible.

"What did you say, sensei?" she ask, getting closer.

"Do you want to go and train?" he ask again, just barely louder.

"What, sensei?" she asked again, leaning in and batting her eyes at him.

"I SAID DO YOU WANNA TRAIN" he shouts at the top of his lungs.

"OK" she says cheerily, grabbing his hand and running off.

"Wait, I changed my mind" he shouts to no avail.

"I guess I'll finish up here" says Naruto before looking back over his shoulder. "In more ways than one it would seem" he adds as several figures appear nearby and begin to approach him.

**(ten minutes later)**

"Water style; Raging Stream jutsu" says Hotaru before a tinkle of water comes trickling out of her mouth.

"Again" says Utakata as he slowly walks around her, observing her body movements.

"Water style; Raging Stream jutsu" she says again, getting the same result.

Hotaru sighs and slumps her shoulders, saying "I'm really pathetic. Come on, Utakata-sensei, there has to be something you can do to help me out here. Some sort of secret trick or something."

CONK; Utakata whacks her atop her head, making her yelp and grab the spot hit. "Rule no.1, Hotaru. There are no short cuts to success, ever. And rule no.2, practice makes perfect. Now, keep doing it."

"Right, Utakata-sensei" she says, feeling more energized with his words.

As she continues, Utakata sighs. Clearly, this girl had zero talent in his opinion. Had she been born into Kiri or any other ninja village, she would have been expelled from the training academy just for being that bad. But then, an idea pops into his head. He recalls a kunoichi back home who once had a problem like this, except with a more advanced water style jutsu. Her Jonin sensei had then used an unexpected, yet unique approach to help her finally succeed. Maybe it could help Hotaru too?

Walking behind her and coming to a stop, he waits till she breaths in for the water release, then launches a stream of bubbles that gentle impact against her butt, causing her to actually release a decent amount from the shock.

She spins around, her cheeks pink from a blush and yells "Utakata-sensei...you perv."

"It helped didn't it?" he countered, making her realize it did. "Besides, I just blew a few bubbles at you. Its not like I pinch your butt so I don't quite qualify as a pervert." Unlike the sensei who had pinched his kunoichi students butt to help her...and received a broken jaw from her as thanks.

"Yeah, I guess. Thank you then, Utakata-sensei" she says before looking away and thinking _'But next time, just give me a pinch. Its tradition after all...'_

"Well, that's enough for one night. Lets head back and get some sleep" says Utakata.

"Wait" says Hotaru. "Please, Utakata-sensei, teach me some more jutsu."

"I agreed to one and one only. Besides, you still haven't mastered Raging Stream yet. And aren't you forgetting something? You have to get to Mt. Katsurugi by midday in order to being the purification ritual. And for that, you'll need plenty of rest."

"I know, but..." The look Utakata gives her makes her realize this wasn't up for debate. Giving up, Hotaru says "Fine, you win." As they begin walking back to camp, she says "Thank you for doing this much for me."

"Don't mention it" he says.

After a few minutes, they arrive back at camp and find it eerily quiet. "Hey, did Naruto decide to leave?" asked Hotaru, looking around.

"Maybe..." says Utakata going onto high alert as he feels an ominous presence in the air. "..or maybe trouble showed up."

No sooner had he said it, the trouble begins to appear. By Utakata's count, there were at least twelve figures lumbering towards them, their shoulder slumped forward and their arms swinging side to side from their movements.

"Utakata-sensei..." says Hotaru, becoming worried.

"Just stay behind me. I'll protect you" he says before the two closest to them swing their upper bodies back and allowing them to swing their arms at them. Utakata pushes Hotaru down as he ducks under the attack, then quickly hits the two with bubbles, capturing them within. He then turns his attention to the rest and quickly catches the slow moving enemies.

"You got them" says Hotaru, clapping her hands together.

Utakata walks to the bubble containing the closest one and carefully examines it. _'What is this?' _were his thoughts as he looks the enemy over. It was a corpse, based on the color of its skin and the decay. There was a piece of paper covering its face, upon it a symbol he was not familiar with. Was it a seal or...?

The sound of clapping gets both his and Hotaru's attentions and they look up to see a man with long brown hair, wearing a cape, coming towards them.

"Brava, brava indeed, my friend. You handled yourself well against my zombies. Much better than that blond kid" says the man.

"Blond kid? Does he mean Naruto?" wonders Utakata. He takes a glance at the zombie, doubting that these slow, lumbering things could hurt Naruto, let alone defeat him. Was this guy lying or had he had it easy in this fight.

"Hotaru, you have grown beautiful since last I saw you. Do you remember me?" asked the man.

"Wait, you know me? Just who are..." she starts to say till the man steps close enough for her to see his face under the moonlight. "Shiranami? Is that you?"

"You do remember me. I'm touched" he says.

"What are you doing here, traitor" she says suddenly, her voice full of venom as she takes up a battle stance.

"Do you know him?" asked Utakata.

"Yeah, he comes from the same village as me. We used to be friends...until he murdered my grandfather" she says bitterly.

"Murder is such a strong and inaccurate word, sweet" he says. "All I simply wanted was for him to give me what was rightfully mine. When he refused, I tried to persuade him. Sadly, lord En no Gyoja was more brittle than I expected a man like him to be and...well...I'm sure you know..."

"He was hunted down and executed for his crimes...at least that's what I was told" says Hotaru to Utakata.

"Allow me to fill in the blank points. The men in the village did give chase and even found me, the chase reaching a cliff top over looking the ocean. An arrow hit close to my heart and I went over. I guess they assumed I would die, either from the wound or the fall...or both. But I survived because I was strong. I washed up ashore on a distant land. A man found me and taught me many interesting things. And now, I've come home to collect what is mine by rite. And learning about this little ritual of yours, I knew I had to act fast" says Shiranami.

"And what is it that you are after?" asked Utakata.

"Oh, I think you know, Kiri. That which lies within her of course; the reason behind the ritual. I want to keep it from being forever lost" says Shiranami.

"And what did you do to Naruto?" asked Utakata.

"Who...ah, you must mean that blond kid? Relax for he still lives. I simply captured and am holding him in a safe place and will release him once I have what I desire. As I will do with the both of you. After all, I am a very generous man" says Shiranami.

"Don't listen to him, Utakata-sensei. If he gets what he wants, he'll kill all three of us as a way to test it" says Hotaru.

Shiranami chuckles, then says "You know, that's a good idea. I might just try that." He then waves his arms out wide and says "Alright, my zombies. Attack them, but don't kill."

"Sorry, but they won't be doing anything. Not trapped within my bubbles" says Utakata.

"Really?" says Shiranami as the zombies begin to shake inside the bubbles, the power in the shakes causing the bubbles to burst. "Don't think the first impression was truth of their skills. After all, how could such slow corpses defeat your friend when they move like that?"

And then, the twelve zombies begin running in and around Utakata and Hotaru with lightning like precision, making Utakata go wide eyed as he attempts to hit them with more bubbles, but the zombies move fast enough to either dodge them or cause them to burst when they touch.

"Stay here" says Utakata to Hotaru as he quickly looks at her.

"Huh? Stay where...?" she goes to say before finding herself inside a giant bubble, floating into the sky. With Hotaru out of harms way, Utakata goes on the offensive. Jumping over one of the zombies, Utakata takes aim and hits its follower with an acid mist jutsu that immediately destroys it, then spray two more with a boiling river jutsu, taking their heads off. Now down to nine, he decides to call upon Rokubi's power to finish this in one move.

"Not bad, but do you really think she's safe up there?" asked Shiranami.

Utakata quickly looks up and sees two of the zombies leaping up at the bubble and he leaps after them to intercept on impulse. But then a third comes in from behind him, making him realize it was a trap. Before he can react, he's sprayed by a potent mist from the zombies body which the others quickly join in on. "Utakata-sensei" shouts Hotaru as he hits the ground and passes out.

The next thing Hotaru knows is the bubble bursting from Shiranami's attack on it, then he grabs her and knocks her out as well. Landing on the ground with the now unconscious Hotaru in his arms, he looks to Utakata as one of his zombies pick him up and says "That was easier than expected."

**(an hour later)**

Utakata groans as he comes back to consciousness and quickly finds himself locked in a cage within a cave of some sort. "Hotaru? Hotaru?" he shouts looking around.

"She's not here; likely being kept in another chamber" comes Naruto who was in the cage next to his.

"Naruto, are you OK? What happened?" asked Utakata.

"Well, you and Hotaru went off to train. A bunch of corpses came along and attacked me followed by their flashy haired boss. Then I got hit by some gas that knocked me out for a short bit. And then I found myself here" said Naruto.

"I would have thought you'd do better than that against those things" says Utakata.

"I could say the same of you there, buddy" notes Naruto.

"Good point" admits Utakata.

"Truth be told, I recognize this style. A few months back, I went to Antana and was staying at a village which was home to a group of Shaman's. While there, I heard stories about a group that could reanimate corpse and use them in a manner much like what this guy does. So I'm guessing he has a connection to them" says Naruto. "Question is...why did he attack us and why does he want Hotaru?"

Utakata sighs, then says "I might as well tell you, seeing as we're here and all. Years ago, a man from the Tsuchigumo clan created a fearsome jutsu in secret by sacrificing over a hundred lives. This jutsu, once activated, grants the user the ability to kill anyone on contact; causing the target to be dissolved at the molecular level. He called it the Annihilation jutsu."

"He was planning to sell it to the highest bidder, but lord En no Gyoja who was the clan's leader found out about his deeds and put a stop to it. The man was executed and the scroll containing the jutsu taken."

"So, how does this fit in with Hotaru and this guy then?" asked Naruto.

"The jutsu was normally contained in a scroll. But when activated, he moves from the scroll into the body of the user, giving them the power to kill at a touch. Lord En no Gyoja decided to destroy the scroll but found that impossible. Somehow, the scroll had a will of its own, or maybe it was the jutsu itself, and refused to be lost. So, he decided to seal it within his own body so that, when he died, he would take the jutsu with him. But do to an accident, it was Hotaru who now has the jutsu within her."

"And this mission?" asked Naruto.

"My mission is to escort Hotaru to a special place upon the mountain where her grandfathers friend, Tonbei, is putting the finishing touches on a ritual that will allow her to purge the jutsu from her body forever, thus freeing her to live her life" says Utakata.

"So that's what this is about. And what about hair boy? How does he fit into this?" asked Naruto.

"Hair boy, as you call me, is the grandson of the man who created that jutsu. And I'm only wanting to take back what is mine to begin with" says Shiranami.

"Where's Hotaru?" shouts Utakata.

"Not far. In fact, once I'm done here, I'll be finishing up and be on my way. I have a buyer for this jutsu, one who is paying a lot of gold for it. So, once I get my revenge on the village, I'll be taking it to him" says Shiranami who then turns and begins to walk away.

"You won't get away with this" shouts Utakata.

Shiranami looks back at him and says "I think I will. For one thing, neither of you can escape from those cells as the bars are made from chakra resistant metals. And second, there isn't any back up coming to save you. At least, not in the time it will take me to finish up here. But I will tell you one last thing. What do you think life was like for her after the jutsu was sealed within her? Rumors of her having the death touch quickly spread, making people fear her, even hate her. Despite what was said though, she never lost her smile and always tried to stay happy. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Shiranami then laughs as he walks into the tunnels and soon emerges within a massive chamber where Hotaru is chained to a post at the center with the zombies centered around her. "Where's Utakata-sensei?" she shouts, seeing him.

"He's chilling in a cell. Can't have him interrupting us" says Shiranami, walking up to her.

"You won't get away with this. The others will stop you and..."

Shiranami grabs her chin, silencing her and says "Of course I will. You aren't even expected to arrive till later this morning and no one knows what has happened. By the time anyone does, I will have finished here and be on my way. Now, no more interruptions. Let's begin."

Shiranami then steps back and begins chanting, causing the seal beneath Hotaru to light up and making her feel the jutsu sealed within her to start reacting. _'Utakata-sensei...save me...'_

**(back at the cells)**

Utakata throws the full wait of his body against the cell door, only causing himself to become bruised as he's thrown back. Growling, he tries again and again. "You know that's not going to work, right?" asked Naruto, who was still sitting in his cell.

"Why are you so lax? She's in danger" asked Utakata, surprised to see Naruto chilling out.

"I'm not. I'm just being patient and waiting" was Naruto's reply.

"Waiting? Waiting for what?" asked Utakata before he sees movement from outside the cell. He turns to see Naruto enter the room holding the cell key.

"During my fight, I dropped a smoke bomb on the ground and used the concealment to create several Shadow Clones. Four joined me in battle while the fifth I had transform into a mouse and hid it in my pocket as a safety precaution. Luckily I did as he was able to sneak out and get the key back" says Naruto as his clone unlocks the cell doors.

"You're more clever than I thought you were, based on our interactions back during the Shadow Test" says Utakata as he quickly grabs his bubble pip from the nearby table.

"Naw, I've always been clever. I just learned to be more a thinker as of late. Now lets hurry. He's already started the ritual of transference" says Naruto, picking up his Shift Anchor's.

**(back at the ritual)**

The light within the seal finally dies away and Hotaru finds herself falling down...well, as much as she could considering she was tied to the post. "It is done" she hears Shiranami say.

"No, the jutsu..." she says, feeling like she had failed her grandfather.

"Is still within you, for the moment" he says as he begins to walk towards her.

"Huh?" she says looking at him.

Once he is standing before her, he forces her back to her feet then grabs her cheeks and says "All that did was bring it up to the surface, making it possible to transfer. There is only one this left to finish ritual with. Now then, Hotaru. Let's have ourselves a little kiss." He then leans in to kiss her and suck the jutsu out.

"Stop" shouts Utakata as he and Naruto race into the room.

"Utakata-sensei" shouts Hotaru, happy to see him.

Shiranami sighs, then says "Deal with them" to the zombies who immediately respond by jumping towards them.

"Not this time" says Naruto, bringing the Shift Anchor's out and slicing the nine clear in half, taking out both arms and legs to ensure they can't keep fighting.

Shiranami moves away from Hotaru and looks at the two guys as they come to a stop. "Do you think you've won?"

"It's two against one. I say then odds are in our favor" says Naruto.

"True, if it was really two against one" says Shiranami before making a hand sign, causing the marks on the zombie faces to light up. "But really, it's actually one against none."

Before Naruto and Utakata can react, the zombie bodies explode, releasing their mist which begins swirling around them. Though they try to move clear of it, they quickly find their bodies becoming heavy and they fall onto the ground, their bodies wracked with pain.

"I must admit you two impressed me earlier. What you though was sleeping gas is actually a force called Miasma. A byproduct of the technique used to reanimate the corpses. Normally, miasma is deadly to humans. And yet you two only suffered brief unconsciousness. Only Jinchuriki could survive immediate exposure. But prolonged exposure, on the other hand, is still quite deadly" says Shiranami, who turns back to look at Hotaru.

"Utakata-sensei, Naruto" she shouts.

"Don't worry about them. You'll all be together again...very soon" he says before planting a deep kiss on her, making a hand sign in the process to make the jutsu transfer to him.

At that moment, Hotaru recalls something important. The kiss last for several seconds before Shiranami pulls away and gives her a smile. "You know, I used to have the biggest crush on you. And I always wondered how kissing you would feel. To be quite honest, it wasn't all that great. In fact you...you..."

"Is something wrong?" she asked as he backs away, staggering.

"I...I...my body..." he says before looking at her. "What did you do to me?"

She smiles as she says "I recalled something my grandfather told me about this jutsu. He said that normally, this jutsu is dormant within me. But, if I ever got angry, angry enough to want someone dead, the jutsu would manifest and I could use it. So he told me to always be cheery and happy. And so I always was...until just now." She then grabs the ropes, causing them to dissolve and freeing her.

"When you kissed me, I used the power. So, instead of stealing it from me, I used it on you" says Hotaru.

"No, I won't lose like this. Not when I'm so close" shouts Shiranami before charging at her.

She shakes her head and says "It's already to late. Water style; Raging Stream jutsu." She then fires off a powerful blast of water, slamming into him and sending him flying back into the miasma. The combination of the miasma and the growing effects of the annihilation jutsu leave nothing of Shiranami behind.

"Utakata-sensei, Naruto: she shouts as she runs forward, just as a bubble rises up from miasma and lands safely outside of it. "You guys are OK" she says happily before hugging Utakata.

"Luckily for us, I was fast enough to make a bubble to protect us" says Utakata. He then pats her head and says "Good work, Hotaru."

She looks him in the eyes and smiles "It was all thanks to you, sensei."

"You two have your moment while I seal away this miasma" says Naruto, pulling out a scroll to seal it up in.

**(a few hours later)**

"I'm glad to see you made it safely, Hotaru" says Tonbei. He then turns to Utakata and Naruto and says "My thanks for bringing her here and for protecting her from Shiranami."

"It's us that need to be thanking her. She's the one who defeated him after all" says Naruto.

"Anyways, we need to get started, child" says a old woman. "The cleansing spring is this way."

Hotaru nods, then looks at Utakata-sensei and says "I...I hope I can see you again one day."

"Sooner than you might think" was his reply.

"What do you mean?" asked Hotaru.

"Well..." says Utakata, scratching his head. "I...have some vacation time saved up and I was thinking its time I used it. Maybe I could come to your village and give you some more training if you want."

Hotaru's eyes light up and says "You mean that?" He nods, making her blush. "...thank you" she says bashfully, looking away. "um...does that include that special training exclusive to kunoichi?"

Now Utakata blushes as he says "Um...uh...I don't know. That's kind-of...up to you."

She gives him a warm smile before walking into the structure with Tonbei and the old caretaker following. Once they are alone, Naruto ask "So, why the change of heart?"

"What we learned about her. How everyone in her village was distant with her due to the jutsu. I guess I can relate."

"I know what you mean" says Naruto.

"Anyways, what will you do now? Head home to Konoha?" asked Utakata.

Naruto shakes his head and says "Not exactly. I'm on a journey of self discovery of course. And until I find what it is I seek, I can't head home."

"You'll find it, I know it" says Utakata.

"Yeah...oh yeah, there's one more thing I should tell you" says Naruto.

"What's that?" asked Utakata.

"If you ever decide you want to master the Biju power within you, there's a place you can come to to help you out with that. I'll tell you how to find our training grounds if ever you want to learn control" says Naruto before explaining how to access Sanctuary.

**To be continued...**

**N. **

Yeah, I should be calling it N. or maybe N.T. but I just like N. better.

Anyways, here's to bits of info for you. First, the main chapter. I admit is was still a little rushed but I didn't want to linger on this part to long so I opted not to waste time here. Straight to the point. I actually toyed with having Naruto leave their side after last chapters end, but decided to let Utakata stick around for this one, thus I added Shiranami to the end of last chapter. As for the zombies? Chalk that up to me being lazy and not wanting to waste time thinking about his peons.

Next chapter will involve Karin and Roushi, maybe Shino too. After that, we'll meet Matsuri and see Gaara's return. Then, the final chapter of this arc will have Naruto meeting Han and, if I can come up with an idea for them, Bee and Yugito as well.


	7. 7 Spiral Walkabout 3

"Man, this place is sure spooky" says Karin, turning into a new passage deep within the cave system.

How long had she been in here? Two hours? Four? She had lost track of time due to the lack of sunlight and she had made so many turns since coming inside, she was confident it would take here nearly as long to find her way outside again. "I guess I really should have asked someone to come with me."

She had been out and about, looking for herbs and others needed medical supplies she could use to help the people of Okito Village. She had entered the cave as two of her needed procurements would only be found found within. The first, Shasuke Mushrooms, had been easy to find as they were near the entrance. The second was Flura Moss, which only grows further in where light can not find it. Karin had hoped she's find some only a little ways in. So far, little had been a laugh.

She comes to a stop outside a particular;y dark and spooky hole. She steps into the entrance and holds her lantern up to shine light within. "Hello, is anyone here?" she asked nervously into the darkness.

SCREECH, SCREECH came the swarm of bats, blasting from the hole due to the lanterns light and Karin's voice. Karin screams as she ducks down, taking cover as best she can using her hands to guard herself.

Once the onslaught of bats had ended, Karin pokes her head up and looks around, asking "Are they gone?" Seeing and hearing nothing, she gets back to her feet, starts adjusting her glasses and shouts "You damn, winged rats. How dare you scare a young beauty like me. Why I..."

A screech from another bat, coming from out of the hole makes her scream and cover herself again. After a moment, she stands and says "OK, if I can't find the moss in five minutes, I am so out of here."

Though nervous, she peeks inside then enters the room, shining the light around. She was just about to give up when a sparkle catches her eyes. Looking up, she sees the very reason for her search. "Finally" she says, though wasn't keen on having to climb up to it.

She hooks her lantern to her belt, then slowly and carefully begins her climb up and over to the moss. Once she is almost there, a small stone breaks free from the wall, falling down into the darkness. Karin is alarmed by the lack of sound till she hears a splash deep down, farther below than she liked.

"I better not fall or I could really be in trouble" she says before reaching the moss, to which she quickly begins gathering. Once she was confident she had enough, she stores it safely within her pouch and begins to head back.

And then, a section of rock gives way just as her foot comes down on it and she is unable to react quick enough to save herself. Karin screams as she falls into the deep darkness of the cave.

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.7: Spiral Walkabout 3**

Okito Village, a big source of the crops that feed the otherwise desolate region called Dumo. And suffering from a recent earthquake that was sadly common in the Dumo area. Iwa, being Dumo's resident hidden village, had naturally responded with as much aid as allowed by their feudal lord.

Roushi, the jonin in charge of this mission, looked to the other ninja who were busy working and repairs and rebuilding of the village. However, he couldn't help but notice a notable absence. Seeing Shino directing his bugs in moving supplies around, he walks over to him.

"Shino, where is Karin?" asked Roushi, hoping she wasn't slacking off somewhere.

"She left a few hours ago to gather medical supplies for the village" said Shino.

"Just how long exactly?" asked Roushi.

Shino gave this some thought, then says "Maybe three or four hours. Strange that she hasn't returned yet?"

"Indeed" says Roushi, scratching his bearded chin. Surely she wouldn't need that long to gather supplies. Was she slacking off outside the village, or had something happened to her?

It was possible she could have been attacked and been injured or killed despite being an Iwa. After all, she wasn't a combat specialist nor even a combat minor. In fact, if not for her extraordinary sensory and medical skills, she would never made it to being a full ninja in Iwa with no talent for battle. Her inclusion in the Shadow Team test, where it had been said she would never be more than a genin do to her lack of combat skills, had solely been because there was no one else to fill the third spot.

A sudden rumble to the sky makes Roushi look skyward, seeing storm clouds rising in the distance. "Listen up, people. We have a storm coming in. We may have at least an hour before it hits. Likely even less time than that. So lets get these roofs repaired as fast as possible" he shouts out to his team.

"Aye" they shout back.

He then looks at Shino and says "If she hasn't returned within one hour, let me know. I fear something has happened to her and we may need to send out a search party."

"Understood, master Roushi" says Shino before returning to work.

As Roushi goes back to work himself, he thinks to himself _'You better be OK, girl, or the old man's gonna have my hide. After all, you're a valuable treasure to Iwa despite being a joke of a ninja.'_

**(one hour later)**

"I am so glad I found this cave when I did" said Naruto to himself, standing at the entrance. With the intensity of the rain fall, the strength of the winds, and sheer amount of lightning in the air, being out in then open in weather like this was suicide.

Shivering a little, Naruto proceeds back inside to his camp fire and sits down, allowing the flame to warm him. After a few minutes, he looks towards the darkness that led deeper into the cave and wonders where it goes.

"I should probably stay here and wait for the storm to let up" he says turning back to the fire. Then his stomach rumbles, reminding him that he would need food soon. "I wonder if there's anything edible in here?" He sighs as he gets up, grabbing a piece of spare wood from the side and lighting it up.

Naruto then proceeds into the cave to seal if he can find something to stand in as food.

Much deeper in, Karin's eyes open slowly. Though near pitch black where she is, there is still some source of light filling the air, enough to let her see a little. At first, she is confused by her surroundings till the memory of her fall comes racing back.

"Oh no, my supplies" she says, sitting up. She sees the bag laying in the water nearby and reaches for it. Once it is in her grasp, she pulls it over and quickly examines it. She breaths a sigh of relief at seeing everything was fine. The waters of the underground lake, luckily, had spared her hard work.

The same could not be said for her smashed lantern though.

"Great, now what do I do" she says.

Well, first thing was first. She needed to get up and see if there was a way out of here. Karin tries to stand but a sudden stabbing of pain causes her to fall back down. She quickly feels her legs, then says "Twisted ankle, that's just perfect." Now what was she going to do?

"HELP, HELP. IF ANYONE CAN HEAR ME, HELP" she yells at the top her her lungs. While the odds of being heard were dim, she still had to try. After all, her absence back at Okito would surely have been noticed now and Roushi would have sent a team out to find her. And Shino, with his creepy crawlies, should have no trouble locating her...she hoped.

Back above and closer to the cave's mouth, Naruto was about to give up as he wasn't feeling the desire to go to far in when the faint echo of Karin's voice is heard. "Huh? Is someone in here?" he wonders before shouting back "HEY, WHO SAID THAT?"

From where she is, Karin hears the response and feels relief flooding her. "I DID. I FELL INTO A PIT AND HURT MYSELF. I NEED HELP, PLEASE."

Hearing her echo, Naruto shouts "I'LL BE THERE AS SOON AS I CAN" and heads deeper into the cave to find the owner of the voice.

After fifteen minutes, Naruto finds himself overlooking a deep chasm of darkness. "Hey, are you down there?" he shouts into the chasm.

"Yeah, I twisted my ankle and my lantern broke" replies Karin.

"OK, I'll be right down" says Naruto, wishing he had some climbing tools on him now. Not that he needed them of course as he was a ninja. But they would make this easier. Cluching the torch in his mouth, Naruto begins to slow climb down into the darkness towards Karin.

**(Ame)**

Sakuya comes to a stop outside Hinata's room, then looks around for anyone else. Not that there would be of course as Hinata was still inside the Lord's Tower in Ame, where the Grand Daimyo ruled. Though Tenten had wanted her to be brought to their new Ama Tower, Konan had said moving her was unwise at this time until she herself was ready to move.

"Will Tenten be inside, I wonder?" ask Sakuya aloud, knowing she came here as often as time permitted her. Unsure, she knocks against the door, getting no response. "Well, I can assume Tenten isn't here then" says Sakuya, knocking again. "Hinata, its me; Sakuya. Are you awake? Can I come in?"

Again, there was no response. Sakuya then tries the door, finding it locked. _'Like a locked door can keep an Origami user out' _she thinks as her right hand breaks down into papers that easily slide under the door. A few moments later, the lock is released and she steps inside.

As expected, the room was pitch black and cold too. But right away, Sakuya could see Hinata sitting atop her bed, her arms still hugging her feet and her face resting against her knees. The light now filtering into the room makes Hinata turn her head towards Sakuya, showing her tear stained face and near lifeless gaze.

"Boy, you sure are a mess. Not that I blame you for that, given what has happened" says Sakuya, walking up to her.

Hinata just looks at her for a second, then turns away going back to her original position. "Just how long are you gonna stay like this?" asked Sakuya, feeling a little annoyed. After all, for her, all this emotional turmoil over one Jinchuriki was just pathetic to her.

When Hinata doesn't respond, her anger flares up and she steps forward, grabbing one of Hinata's arms and forcing her up a little. "Aren't you gonna answer?" she says, louder and more serious.

When Hinata looks away from her gaze, Sakuya loses it and slaps her hard across the face. "Don't ignore your superiors" she shouts.

"Shut up" says Hinata suddenly.

"What did you say?" ask Sakuya, now feeling more angry.

"I said shut up" sniffles Hinata. "I don't need this right now. I...I don't know what to do, how to feel now. It's not like you could understand..."

While Sakuya's first reaction was to hit her again, Hinata's words remind her why she was here to begin with. She hadn't come to punish her, but talk. To get her to side with Nagato. Sighing, she says "Sorry, Hinata. I lost my temper there for a second. And you're wrong. I do know what you're going through."

Hinata looks at her as she sits down beside her.

"Let me tell you a story, Hinata. When I was a young girl, no older than you. I fell in love with a Jinchuriki named Bartz. Now, he wasn't a Jinchuriki to a Biju like Naruto, but he was a Jinchuriki all the same. His dad, under orders from Hanzo, made him one. But despite that, I still loved him. And for the longest time, I believed our love for one another would keep him stable. I was wrong. One day, he was finally possessed by the darkness all Jinchuriki have within them and he tried to kill me. I survived, he didn't. And because of that event, I have become the person I am today."

"Do you hate Jinchuriki?" asked Hinata.

"That's a difficult question to explain" admits Sakuya. "I don't hate them so much as I hate the darkness within them. Hinata, listen..."

After a pause, Sakuya says "I can see it in your eyes; you still love him. Even though he killed you, you still love him all the same. Its a credit to your feelings for him. But you can't let your feelings control you. If you love him, wish to help him, then do what only you can do for him..."

"What's that?" asked Hinata.

"Just...put an end to him. His soul is suffering now, trapped in darkness while that darkness controls his body and does what it wants. That is why we, the Order of Ama, exist. We capture Jinchuriki and purify them. Though it means the body will die, at least we can take solace in the fact their souls have been saved."

"But, isn't there a chance to save him, to restore control?" asked Hinata.

Sakuya looks away and says "Once, I wondered the same thing. But I'm sorry, the answer is no. Once it has control, the darkness will never give it up. Death is their only salvation then." Sakuya gets up and walks to the door, stopping just before exiting.

"Hinata, ask yourself; how much do I love him. Do I love him enough to let him go, to end his suffering? In the end, you alone may be the only one who can save him...where it counts the most. Take time to think about it. But remember, the longer you take, the longer he has to suffer."

And with that, Sakuya leaves Hinata alone to her thoughts.

As she walks down the hall, Konan appears and joins her. "So, will she join us?"

Sakuya shrugs and says "Don't know. Hinata is a tough nut to crack. But I think I convinced her. One way or another, we'll know soon..."

**(Okito Village)**

"So, she still hasn't returned yet?" asked Roushi.

Shino shakes his head and says "And with the weather as it is, I'm worried she may not if she was caught in the middle of it."

"Ah, damn" says Roushi. After a moment to study the winds and clouds, he says "If my guess is correct, it will start to relent within fifteen minutes. Will you be able to track her when the time comes?"

Shino nods, then says "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Then you'll come with me when I set out. Now lets hope she's still alive..."

**(inside the cave)**

Naruto finally dropped down into the lower cave, his feet splashing ankle deep into ice cold water. Quickly, he raises his torch up and says "Are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm on the shore comes Karin's voice. After a few quick adjustments to his position, Naruto is finally able to make her form out and quickly heads over to her.

"Are you OK?" he asked, leaning down next to her.

"Yeah, I think so. The water saved me from more severe injury when I fell, but I twisted my ankle along the way. Heh, some medical ninja I am. Can't even heal her own leg. No wonder I'm called a joke of a ninja" says Karin.

"Now, now, don't go beating yourself up over anything. Besides, I heard the best medicine for a twisted ankle is rest and time. Now, lets get you out of here" says Naruto before turning his back to her. "Hop on" he says.

"You want to carry me piggy back?" asked Karin, blushing from the thought that would mean his hands would be very close to her butt.

"Unless you think you can walk now" says Naruto.

Karin has to admit he makes a good point so she climbs up on him, bracing herself against his back and arms wrapped around his neck while Naruto has one arm latched onto her leg. Once he was sure she was secure, he looks up and says "Now comes the fun part, the climb up."

What followed was twenty five minutes of nail biting difficulty as trying to climb up a slippery vertical climb with one hand in near total darkness was a nail biting, fear inducing experience; one that had a few very close calls to it. But finally, they had made it to the top and Naruto was allowing himself a moment to rest before taking them both back to the cave entrance.

As Naruto worked to catch his breath, Karin studies his face closely. "Hey, do I know you by any chance? You look sort of familiar."

"We met at the Shadow Test, remember? I'm Naruto of Konoha" says Naruto.

"Oh, I remember now" says Karin. "My name is Karin, in case you don't recall. May I ask why you're here in Dumo region?"

"I'm taking some time off from my ninja duties to find myself. I...lost sight of who I am and my goals and I'm trying to find direction again. I took shelter inside this cave due to a powerful storm and that's when I heard your voice. You know the rest" says Naruto.

"Oh, I see" says Karin, hoping this wasn't actually a possible Konoha planned attack on Iwa. A sudden growl pulls her from her thoughts. "Oh no, what now?" she says, a bit of fear in her voice.

From higher up, they see the glowing eyes of a cave cougar who was feeling hungry and, having found two potential meals, wasn't about to let them get away. "Don't worry, Karin. I'll protect you" says Naruto, stepping out towards the beast.

The cougar growls again, louder this time before leaping down and going at Naruto. Using his ninja training, Naruto easily side steps the cougar's lunge, then smacking it hard in the head as it sails past him, causing it to slam into the ground.

"That wasn't so hard" he says, giving her a thumbs up as he looks back at her.

However, this had only stunned the beast momentarily, not knocked it out as it quickly regains itself and immediately bites Naruto's leg hard, making him shout in pain. "Naruto?" shouts Karin as he is knocked to the ground by the cougar's attempt to rip his leg off. Growling himself, Naruto kicks the beast hard with his free leg, forcing it to let go. And when it tries another attack, Naruto uses his Rasengan to blast it over the edge and down into the lake below.

"That did it" says Naruto before cringing in pain.

"Naruto, are you OK?" asked Karin, hopping over to him.

"Yeah, but he got my leg good" admits Naruto, hoping Kyubi's chakra would heal it quickly.

"This is all happening because I had to go and fall" says Karin, to which Naruto was going to tell her no, it wasn't. Karin then lifts her right sleeve up and says "Here, Naruto. Bite me."

"Huh?" asked Naruto.

"I have a special talent from my clan. If a person bites me, I can channel chakra into them that causes any injuries they have to rapidly heal" explains Karin. "So please, bite me. I owe you that much."

Naruto had a feeling she wasn't the kind of girl to take no for an answer, so he leans in and carefully bites down on her wrist, making Karin "ahh" out loud just a bit. Immediately, Naruto's body begins to glow in blue colored chakra coming from Karin while his leg heals instantly.

But both notice something else; something odd. Their eyes had started to glow as well. When Naruto's leg had healed, he looks at it and says "Wow, that's a pretty useful talent you have there, Karin...Karin?"

"What is this? Why aren't I panting or feeling drained right now?" says Karin to herself, looking at her arm.

"Is something wrong?" asked Naruto.

"Huh?" says Karin, being driven from her thoughts. "Oh, it's just weird. The few times I've used this power in the past, it has always left me winded and feeling drained afterwords, regardless of how much or little I healed. But not now. If anything, I feel more energized than usual."

"Do you think our eyes glowing in unison had something to do with it?" asked Naruto.

"Glowing eyes?" ask Karin, then remembering she had seen his eyes glow too. "This is weird. The only way something like this could happen is..." She then recalls something she was told years ago, followed by recalling Naruto's last name from the Shadow Test.

"Naruto, you said back at the Test that your last name was Uzumaki, correct?" asked Karin, getting a nod in response. "Is it a family name or did your village give you that name when you registered as a ninja?"

"It was my mom's family name. I am half Uzumaki and half Namikaze on my dad's side" said Naruto.

"Then that's it. Its because...we're clan mates" says Karin. She then looks Naruto in the eyes and says "Back in Iwa, I'm fully known as Karin Moriyama. But the Moriyama's are just an adopted family who took me in at the request of the Tsuchikage. My true name is Karin Uzumaki."

"You're an Uzumaki too?" asked Naruto, surprised.

"Up until now, I thought I was the last, not including lady Tsunade of Konoha of course, who is quarter Uzumaki. But now, I have a clan brother" says Karin, feeling happier than she had for a long time. She then recalls the glowing eyes bit and a thought comes to her. "Naruto, you said your mom was an Uzumaki. Can you tell me her name?"

"Sure, but why are you interested?" asked Naruto.

"My mom, before she died, told me about my healing power. She told me that if I used it on another clan member, I could heal them without the negative side effects that come from healing non clan members. And if I heal a close relative, then our eyes will glow, signifying receiving a boost in chakra."

"My mom's name was Kushina Uzumaki" says Naruto.

"Kushina?" says Karin, surprised. "Naruto, I think we may be cousins. My mom...she had a younger sister named Kushina. I never met her because she...she was sent to Konoha for protection when Uzugakure was attacked."

"Wow, I can't believe I have a living relative" says Naruto.

"I know; it makes me feel happy inside" agrees Karin. "That is, if we really are related. I'll want to do a test just to make sure."

"Then lets get back to my camp fire at the cave entrance. Then you can do the test" says Naruto, picking her up.

**(one hour later)**

"So, you ready to go?" asked Naruto, seeing that the rains had finally stopped.

"Yeah...big brother" says Karin, blushing a little from calling him brother.

Once they had made it back to the fire and Naruto had restarted it, Karin had used their shared blood, combined with a medical ninja scroll, to confirm their relationship to one another. They had then spent the rest of the hour talking about themselves to the other. Karin had even asked Naruto if it was OK for her to call him brother, seeing as they would have been like siblings had things been different for Uzu.

Once she was on his back again, Naruto begins to walk out of the cave. "Karin, you said you'll never make chunin or jonin with Iwa because you lack combat ability, right?"

"Yeah, and its really annoying too. Just because my only talents are healing and being a sensory type doesn't mean I'm a weak ninja. I deserve promotion just as much as anyone else" complains Karin.

"You know, you could always defect to Konoha if you want. Join the Medical Ninja Corps granny Tsunade has started. With your talent, you could even rival Sakura's skills as a medic" says Naruto.

"I don't know, brother. I mean, Iwa is my home even if I do get laughed at" says Karin.

"Its your choice. But I'll tell you how to find Konoha should you decide to join us instead."

"Wait, are you sure you can trust me with its location? How can you be sure I won't tell lord Tsuchikage?" asked Karin.

Naruto smiles and says "Hey, if I can't trust family. Who can I trust?"

Karin just blinks at his comment, then smiles and says "Yeah, you're right."

A few minutes later, Naruto comes to a stop as he sees Roushi and Shino appear, heading towards him. "Hey, guys. I'm right here" she shouts.

"What have you been up to?" asked Roushi. "You know we've been worried about you."

"Yeah, I'm sorry" says Karin. "I was in a cave, getting some moss when I fell and sprained my ankle. Luckily, Naruto here was taking shelter in the cave and saved me."

"Naruto...from the Shadow Test?" asked Shino.

"Yeah, its me, bug boy" says Naruto, recalling Shino as well.

"I understand" says Roushi, taking Karin from Naruto. "You have my thanks, kid." He then turns to leave.

"Hey, old man" says Naruto.

"Yes?" he says, looking back.

"I should tell you that elder Mada has wanted to speak with you..."

"Tell her I'm not interested. Unlike you kids, I have no desire to ever use it, or even learn to use it. The way I see it, I am a jail to keep it contained, no more than that" says Roushi before heading off.

"Oh well, at least I tried" says Naruto.

"May I ask what that was about?" asked Shino.

"You may ask, but I won't tell" says Roushi.

"Big brother" shouts Karin, looking back at Naruto. "Stay safe until we can meet again..."

"Brother?" asked Roushi.

"Our secret" she says back to him, sticking her tongue out.

**(Sanctuary)**

Hanabi was finding it hard to concentrate on the book she was currently reading. Placing it down on her lap, she sighs as she looks up into the sky. "Naruto..." she says in a worried tone.

"Concerned for him?" asked Mada, walking up to her.

"A little" admits Hanabi. "I wonder if I shouldn't have gone with him after all."

"He has his path and you have yours, you both know that" says Mada. "Two paths that will soon become one, which is what the next phase of out training will be about."

"What do you mean?" asked Hanabi.

"I've sent Fuu and Moegi out on an errand, one that will take them till late to finish. As such, I figure now is as good a time as any to do this" says Mada.

"Do what?" asked Hanabi, standing up.

"To awaken your Byakugan, of course" says Mada. "It's time for you to become Naruto's partner."

**To be continued...**


	8. 8 Spiral Walkabout 4

"OK brats, listen up" shouts Baki as he looks out over the collection of academy students gathered before him. "I'm sure your teachers have told you about this tradition within our village. You can choose from among any of the six candidates before you to and join them for a week of survival within the desert, with minimal supplies available to to you. Now, any question's?"

"Sir, what is the purpose of this test again exactly?" asked one of the boys.

"As I said before, this is all about survival. As we live deep within a desert area within the Fumala region of Shumoa, it is important that all ninja and ninja in training learn how to traverse and survive outside the village, in the desert, should the situation demand it. After all, there has been times in the past ninja of Suna have been forced to live off the desert for days at a time, waiting for the village to become accessible again. This is due to our village being hidden within a never ending sand cyclone and the ability to enter and exit sometimes being blocked based on outside weather, like sand storms."

After no other questions were asked, Baki says "OK then, chose your mentor for this exercise."

One by one, the kids in this years class got up and headed towards one of the awaiting genin and chunin ranked ninja. The kids in this class were the next in line for graduation in less than a years time. Baki sighs, seeing none of the kids going to Gaara. Despite his attempt to change himself and his perceptions of him within the minds of the villagers, it seemed he still wasn't trusted enough by anyone save his older brother and sister.

"Gaara, can I come with you?" asked one girl, Baki hadn't seen till that moment, come to stand before him. She was wearing a light blue shirt and a yellow scarf, green shorts and a light brown skirt.

"You want to come with me?" asked Gaara, surprised, not expecting anyone to choose him.

The girl nods shyly in response and Gaara ask "Very well. What is your name?"

"Matsuri, Mr. Gaara sir" replied Matsuri, a small blush present on her cheeks.

Off to the side, Temari smiles and looks to Kankuro, giving him a wink. _'It looks like I win the bet, Kankuro. She did go to him after all.' _The two older sand siblings had made a bet before coming here over Matsuri's choice in Gaara. The reason was both were well aware this young girl, for what ever reason, had a deep crush on their baby brother.

Once everyone had selected a survival teacher, Baki says "Now, all leaders take one survival pack for each student with you as well as one for yourself. Then proceed to the village. You'll be out there for five days, doing as you will. I wish you all luck; dismissed."

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.8: Spiral Walkabout 4**

Two days had passed since then and Matsuri found herself climbing towards the very top of what was a large hill of sand, and not having much luck it would seem seeing as she kept sliding down. Gaara, who was already standing at the top, looked down at her and asked "Do you need any help?"

While the offer was tempting, especially because her thoughts showed Gaara coming down, sweeping her off her feet, and carrying her up to the top bridal style, she knew Gaara wouldn't do that. Instead, he'd simply use his sand jutsu to pick her up and lift her to the top.

She shakes her head and says "No, I need to learn how to do this myself just in case I am ever alone out here."

"Understood" says Gaara, nodding his head. "Just remember to become one with the sand, get a feel for it. In order to walk across it, you most know its flow."

_'I'd rather become one with you, Gaara' _she thinks automatically, then blushes madly from the thought. Luckily, her face was looking down at the time so Gaara didn't see. But there was no doubt in her mind now. She was certainly going to choose Gaara as her _neeshi _in life.

You see, unlike other ninja villages, Suna did not make their kunoichi undergo sex training for kunoichi specific missions. Instead, a kunoichi would choose a life partner once she is deemed old enough, between fourteen and sixteen. While not the same as an actual marriage, this did serve to allow kunoichi to bare the next generation of Suna ninja through their partners. And in Matsuri's case, she had already chosen Gaara to be hers, so long as he wasn't taken by another before her time came.

Which is why Matsuri had decided that before these five days...well, three days now, were over, she was going to tell Gaara her true feelings for him. She was going to tell him she loves him. And the thought of doing that made her both nervous as hell and giddy beyond belief.

Taking in a deep breath, Matsuri slowly begins to make her way up the sand bar, carefully watching the ever shifting sands. Though there were a few close calls, she maintains her cool and repeats everything she had been taught about doing this in her mind. And finally, she reached the top.

"Alright, I did it" she says, jumping up and down excitedly, then loses her footing and starts to fall back. But Gaara's quick reaction by reaching out and grabbing her hand saves her from the tumble back down to the bottom.

"Congratulations on making it to the top...and be more careful you don't over do it" he says, giving her a surprisingly wry smile. A smile from him was very uncommon, just so you know.

"Of course. Sorry Gaara-sensei, and thank you" says Matsuri, blushing even more as Gaara pulled her back up to him.

"Are you doing OK? Your face is really red" asked Gaara.

"No, I'm fine. Well, maybe I am feeling a little warm" admits Matsuri.

"Then we should find a place to rest then" says Gaara, looking around and spotting a bad sign at the edge of the horizon. "Especially before that sand storm hits" he adds, knowing what it was he was seeing.

Matsuri looks around and sees something else besides the approaching sand storm. "Gaara-sensei, what about there?" she asked, pointing towards an old structure.

"Hm?" says Gaara, looking to where she was pointing. "Old ruins; ones I don't recall hearing about before." He studies the distance from them and determines they could just make it. Hopefully, there was a way inside. "OK, lets go there."

But before walking, Gaara makes several sand birds to send to his fellow ninja, alerting them to take cover as well just in case they didn't see the sand storm coming. Once that was done, they quickly begin making their way towards the undiscovered ruins.

**(Sanctuary)**

Mada and Hanabi entered the Vault of the Casteopa, coming to a stop before the pedestal. "I don't understand, how can I have my sister's eyes? And how can they be awakened?" asked Hanabi.

"I'll explain once we're inside" says Mada in response.

The elder then reaches out and presses her hand against a small sphere carved into the pedestal, making it release a hum like noise before, to Hanabi's surprise, splitting in half and moving apart. Then, another pedestal rises up from beneath, one holding a Casteopa that glowed with a different light than the others.

"Within this room are 108 Casteopa, each one containing either a historical site or a natural wonder of the old world, meant to be preserved till the time came to restore them to the world. But, there is in fact a 109 Casteopa that none have known about save me...and now you as well" says Mada.

"Only the two of us? So Naruto, Fuu, and Moegi don't know about it then? Why?" asked Hanabi.

"Because this was never meant to exist. The contents of this Casteopa are forbidden by the law of preservation enacted by the council after the Age of Darkness. But it was considered a necessity; one that we needed to make in case of emergency. That is why we allowed ourselves to break the rule, just this once" says Mada.

"And who are we?" asked Hanabi.

"The Order of the Sage, led by Musashi and Amarillo Naimkaze of course. The group who saved the world from Jubi and the Makai Realm so long ago" explained Mada. "You'll understand more once we're inside."

Mada then places one hand on Hanabi's shoulder while using the other to reach for the glowing orb. "Prepare yourself, child. For you are about to see the last surviving remnant of mankind's old world."

She then places her hand on the orb, pulling them both inside...

**(the Fumala Desert)**

The howling wind and the never ending barrage of sand was really starting to get on Naruto's nerves and he was really wishing he had taken that left turn right now instead of the right which had brought him here into the desert. Sometimes, it pays not to listen to your gut was his thoughts.

"Man, this is insane" he says, barely able to hear his own words through the noise. "If I don't find cover soon, I'm seriously gonna get buried alive out here..."

Trying his best to look around, Naruto spies what appears to be a structure of some sort not far away. "Any fort in a storm is a good one" he says, hoping to Kami he wasn't seeing an illusion.

After a few tumbles, he manages to get inside and quickly brushes the sand off him, coughing heavily for a few minutes too. Once he had composed himself, more or less. He looks around the semi darkened room. "I'm guessing no one is here."

He then looks back at the direction he had come from, seeing nothing but sand."Here's hoping that doesn't last to long or I'm in trouble." He then begins to look around, finding the remains of a camp quick enough. But from the looks of it, it hadn't been used in a long time though he did find a few glow sticks that had been left behind.

Picking them up and lighting one up, Naruto holds it up and sees a passage leading deeper in. "Wonder if they left any food deeper inside?" Naruto doubted it, but he needed something to do to get his mind off his hunger. And so, he ventured deeper inside.

On the opposite of the structure, Gaara watched as Matsuri finished setting up camp. "Good job" he said, seeing she had done a decent job.

Matsuri blush's, then looks back at the entrance and says "Do you think it will last long?"

Gaara walks up to the entrance and studies the winds. "It'll last about a day I think."

_'Could this be my chance to tell him?' _she wonders. After all, there was little chance of her being interrupted her, thus giving her plenty of chances.

Gaara comes back inside and looks the room over. "Once we return to the village, I'll need to inform my father...I mean, lord Kazekage about this place."

"Um...Gaara-sensei" says Matsuri.

"Hm?" says Gaara, looking back at her.

"There's something I want to...I mean, I...I..." _'I love you, Gaara-sensei' _her mind screams at her to say. "...I...think we should do some exploring while we're here. To see if there is anything worth noting about this place." _'I couldn't say it.'_

"It would give us something to do" he admits as he sees two passages leading deeper into the ruins. "Very well then. We'll each take a passage and look around. Look for one hour, then return here. And be careful, Matsuri."

"Yes sir" she says. _'When we get back, I'll tell him for sure.'_

And with that, the both of them enter the chosen passageway and begin to explore.

After forty five minutes, Matsuri was ready to give up and head back. There was nothing but walls, spooky passages, and empty rooms as far as she could tell. _'OK, I'll check this next room, then I'll start heading back.'_

Seeing as this was the last room before another turn in the hall, it was as good a place as any to call it quits. So she enters the room. Moments later, Naruto comes around the nearby turn. _'Great, another long passage. I knew I'd get lost if I went exploring.'_

But then, he notices a light coming from the close by room. _'Is someone else in here besides me?' _he wonders. He decides to go introduce himself, hoping whoever it is was friendly.

Inside the room, Matsuri sees more of the same; nothing. Well, almost nothing as there was a collapsed statue at the far end of the room and behind it a hidden passage. _'I wonder where this goes?'_ she thinks before deciding to check it out. As soon as she entered the hidden passage, Naruto peeked his head inside the room.

Seeing nothing but the light from Matsuri's glow stick coming from the passage, Naruto decides to follow. After a few minutes, Matsuri enters a small room with a pedestal at its center. "What is this place?" she wonders, stepping inside.

At that moment, an orb placed upon the pedestal lights up, drawing her in. "What is this?" she wonders, moving in closer to examine the weird orb.

Just then, Naruto enters the room. His eyes first fall onto the girl, then he sees the orb and realizes its a Casteopa. _'What the heck is that doing here?'_ he wonders for a split second before realizing the girl was reaching out to touch it. "Wait, don't touch that Orb" he shouts.

"Huh?" says Matsuri, jumping in surprise from the unknown voice and making her hand touch the orb by accident. The orb begins to glow brighter and Naruto lunges in, hoping to pull her away in time. But just as he touches her, she is pulled inside and he goes right along with her.

**(Sanctuary-within the secret Casteopa)**

The first Hanabi saw after being pulled into the secret Casteopa was that she and Mada were standing inside a small room with a dome shaped ceiling and glowing lines of light running along the walls and floors and ceiling; illuminating the room with a teal colored light.

"Where are we?" she asked, gazing at the light as if hypnotized.

"The entry dome to the particular Casteopa" says Mada.

"This light is pretty" says Hanabi, wondering if this was why the Casteopa this was in was hidden.

'Wait till we get outside and you'll be redefining many of your definitions" says Mada before moving towards what appeared to be a door. Hanabi quickly falls in step behind her as the door slides open, allowing them to step into a tunnel like room.

Mada came to a stop as did Hanabi behind her; the latter jumping in surprise when she finds the both of them moving forward suddenly despite they both were standing still. "What's going on?" asked Hanabi.

"Relax, child. We've just stepped upon an automated walk way is all. And in a few moment's we'll emerge from this tunnel and then you'll see a remnant of the world you never imagined existed."

A few moments later, Hanabi sees light filtering into the tunnel and seconds after that, they exit the tunnel and, as Mada predicted before, everything she ever thought she knew about the world and its history was rendered void and meaningless.

Before her; all around her, was a city unlike any she had ever beheld before. Towers of silver and what appeared to be glass rising high into the sky. Even the ground was as silver in color, but with the same glowing lights pulsing along pathways. She could also see many forms of plant life here as well, all of which she recalled seeing located within the Floating Garden's Casteopa. And there was even a flowing stream of water moving around the city as well.

"I can see your speechless" says Mada as they come to a stop before a blue colored pod like object. "Hanabi, allow me to welcome you to my home from long ago; Avalon."

"Avalon?" says Hanabi, her mouth agape and eyes as wide as humanly possible as she slowly spun around, trying to see as much as she could.

"Come, we can sight see another time. For now, we have work to do" says Mada before reaching out and touching the pod, causing it to open and reveal eight seats within it. "Get in."

She was a little nervous, but Hanabi knew Mada wouldn't do anything to hurt her. After gulping nervously, Hanabi entered the pod like device with Mada following and both took a seat. The pod then spoke to them in a language not spoken in thousands of years.

"Did you understand what it ask?" asked Mada, curious to see if Hanabi's training in the ancient tongue' had started to bare fruit.

"I think so" says Hanabi, replaying the words in her mind. "Destination, please?"

"Good girl" says Mada, ruffling her hair before speaking in the same ancient tongue back. The pod then begins to hum as it lifts itself slightly in the air and moving towards its destination.

"Um...?' says Hanabi, not quite getting what was said there.

"I told it to take us to the Science Academy" explains Mada. "Here, let me open and window so you can see more of the city as we go. After all, this will take a few minutes." And with a simple motion over an orb to her side, windows appear upon the pod for them to see out of.

Hanabi goes back to looking at the city with awe as they pass by one location after another. Soon, they pass by what appears to be a giant glowing girl, holding a guitar, and singing a beautiful song while playing said guitar. "Who is that? What is that?" she asked.

"I remember her" says Mada, recalling the past. "That, child, is what we call a hologram projection. Think of it as a three dimensional image. And this image is for one of my era's most famous singers; Ako Izumi, the Healing Siren. Her voice was so amazing, it was said she could heal any injury with it. I remember Musashi being a big fan of hers and she, in turn, really liked him too. Man, that made me jealous."

"I bet it must have made Amarillo jealous as well" notes Hanabi.

Mada laughs and says "Oh, you have no idea there. I'll let you in on a secret..." Mada then leans in close and whispers into Hanabi's ear "Ako came very close to being Musashi's wife, not Amarillo."

"Really? What happened?" asked Hanabi.

Mada's face changes, becoming one of sadness. "That...is better left unsaid...at least for now."

As the drive away from the image, Hanabi finds herself wondering "Out of curiosity, what song is she singing anyways?"

"I think it was called "Paint the World, in Never Ending Dreams." Maybe when we're done, we can stop by Harp Strings and get you a Harmonia with all her songs on it. I think you'll like 'em" says Mada.

After another ten minutes, the pod finally stops outside a massive set of buildings, shaped like pyramids. Stepping out and onto another moving walkway, Mada says "Welcome to Avalon's Science Academy, where me, Musashi, and many of our friends attended classes and got an education in our youths. Once they had stepped inside, Hanabi was taken aback by its size.

"This place...this whole city, is so advanced. Way beyond anything we have in our time. I don't get it master, why don't we have things like this if they existed in the past?" asked Hanabi as they walked through the main lobby towards an elevator.

"Its because it was a world full of this that led to the Makai Realm becoming an issue. You see, humans are always driven to explore and discover new things; to advance ourselves how ever we can. And when we discover new worlds, like the Makai Realm, its in our nature to see it as our property and do with it as we please, despite thinking about the lives that already live there."

Hanabi stops and says "Wait, you mean all our suffering is our own fault?"

Mada nods and says "Yes, dear, it is. It was human who first discovered the Makai Realm. It was humans who broke down the barriers the kept our worlds apart just so we could go there. It was because of humans the war with the Yoma began. And it was because of humans that awoke the Jubi and started the Age of Darkness. As luck would have it, several children were born at that time who had the power to save us and did just that. After it was over, it was decided to destroy all our advanced technology and return humans to living a simpler life; all for the sake of insuring this never happened again. But I know that some day, humans will regain that which was lost and history will repeat."

"It makes you wonder what the point is then" says Hanabi as they enter the elevator and Mada selects their destination.

"Who says there has to be a point?" asked Mada. "Sometimes, juts having faith is all we can do and hope for a better tomorrow..."

"By the way, you never explained about me having the Byakugan or me becoming Naruto's partner" says Hanabi.

"Oh yeah, I did forget that didn't I?" says Mada. After a moment, "In times past, Musashi and Amarillo learned that a second age of darkness would come about, though not the reason. To insure the world and those who live upon it survived, they made sure a new sage would come about to save us all."

"You mean Naruto? But how could it be him?" asked Hanabi.

"That...is difficult to explain now. Just trust me that he is the one; that I have no doubt about. But, as I'm sure you know, he doesn't have the Rinnegan like Musashi did in his time. So, to compensate this, a new eye power was created; the Byakugan, and it was set to awaken within one who would be his partner. And that ended up being you sister, Hinata."

"But then how could I have it? And why is it important for Naruto to have a partner in this matter?"

"Because all possibilities were considered, including the premature death of the one who had the Byakugan. So, to that end, it was insured there would be multiple Byakugan bearers born into the world when the time came. One would have the Byakugan gene active and the rest dormant. You, Hanabi, are a dormant gene carrier. And as for why Naruto needs a partner? Because no one, no matter how strong or smart, can carry a burden like this on their shoulders alone, nor should they have to."

"But am I good enough to succeed my sister? I mean, she was so...and I...I'm just..."

Mada places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a warm smile. "She is she and you are you. Believe in yourself as she does. Inherit her will, hopes, dreams, and spirit and do this, for Naruto, for her, and for you yourself because...only you can be the one to stand by him now."

Hanabi looks at her, wide eyed for a moment before smiling at her and nodding. "I will."

Soon enough, they arrived at the chosen floor and it didn't take long before they were standing outside a large set of doors. "Beyond here is the lab of our teacher, Professor Van. He was, in addition to being our teacher, the scientist in charge of our group as well as a member and our surrogate father figure."

Mada then speaks the ancient tongue, to which she gets a reply followed by a beam of light enveloping her, scanning her.

_'DNA scan?' _wonders Hanabi before hearing the device speak again, followed by the door opening. As Mada steps inside, Hanabi looks at her and thinks _'Wait, why did it it...?'_

"Come in, Hanabi, don't be shy" says Mada, bringing Hanabi out of her thoughts.

Once inside, Hanabi looks around the circular room, noting how dark it is compared to the outside. Mada makes her way over to a computer console and begins fiddling with the keypad. A bad sounding buzz is heard, followed by another and another; each time her face being more annoyed and angry.

"Damn it, I hate this computer. I swear it has never liked me" shouts Mada, wishing Van was still alive as he would know how to...PING "Eureka, got it" she says triumphantly.

Hanabi watches as a pod arises from the floor at the center of the room, one that appeared just big enough for one person. "OK Hanabi, just strip down and get inside" says Mada as the pod opens.

"Strip down? You mean, NAKED?" she asked, shocked.

"Oh, don't you worry none now" says Mada. "It's not like anyone's gonna walk in here and see you besides me. And as a girl myself, its not like I'll being seeing anything new on you."

"I guess..." says Hanabi before beginning to strip.

"Trust me, you have it easy" says Mada. "When I was young, I had to do this with Professor Van in the room, though it was only him and he assured me he never peeked. Though I'm certain he used those camera's to do so" she adds before checking something on the computer, then becoming sour.

"He did take pictures, that bastard" she growls, seeing the video recordings and thinking Van was lucky he was dead or she kill him. Well, that an the fact these shots didn't get her good side at all.

"Um...I'm inside the pod, master. What now?" asked Hanabi.

"Huh? Oh, right..." says Mada, getting back to work. After a moment, the pod closes and begins to fill with water. "Um...master..." says Hanabi, worried about drowning.

"You'll be fine, dear. Allow the liquid to fill you and you'll find your in no danger of drowning at all" says Mada. Once she was sure her words had been proven true, Mada says "OK, Hanabi. In a few seconds, you'll fall asleep. When you wake up, you will have gained the Byakugan. Expect a little disorientation and spotty vision at first. But these will pass quickly. And Hanabi..."

"Yeah?" she ask, already feeling tired.

"Sweet dreams" says Mada as Hanabi falls asleep. Once she was sure the young girl was out, Mada makes a few more quick button presses, causing bubbles to begin appearing within the pod, signaling the process of awakening had begun.

**(with Naruto and Matsuri)**

"Where are we?" asked Matsuri as she took a moment to take in their surroundings.

They had found themselves appearing at the center of what appeared to be a massive complex of unknown origin. Large building with dome shaped tops, towers rising up at the four cardinal points, and smaller buildings. All linked by a moving road. But, this place was also in a state of disarray. The ruins of what had once been a base of some sort.

"I don't know, but I do know sticking around isn't a good idea" says Naruto before placing a hand on Matsuri's shoulder while raising his free hand into the air and shouts out "Casteopa, exit."

Nothing happened and a puzzled Naruto tries again and again; five times total. "OK, this could be a problem."

"Just what is going on here? Why did you do that? And just who are you anyways?" asked Matsuri.

"Seeing as we aren't going anywhere it seems, I have plenty of time to tell you" says Naruto before introducing himself and explaining what was going on from his perspective. "...and that leads us to here. Since the usual method of getting out doesn't seem to work, we have a little problem here."

"You call being stuck inside a glass sphere; Casteopa as you call it, and in the middle of a ruined structure that looks like it was in a war with no way out a little problem?" asked Matsuri.

"Well...yeah?" admits Naruto.

"Well, that's terrific...oh, by the way, I'm Matsuri. So, are we really stuck here?" she asked.

"Maybe not" says Naruto, breaking into a walk towards what he assumed to be the main building. Matsuri falls in step beside him. "Maybe there's a reason why we can't escape. If we look around, we may get lucky and find out what that reason it. Or, at least, another way out of here."

As they walk off, both fail to notice a pair of eyes locking onto them. They were not alone in here...

**to be continued...**


	9. 9 Spiral Walkabout 5

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.9: Spiral Walkabout 5**

Naruto and Matsuri stood before the large double doors that acted as the entry way into the largest of the buildings located upon this complex. Though the building itself was in a bad state, the doors at least still appeared to be solid. Naruto reached up and felt them, noting the weird feel of the metal.

"I'm not seeing any door knobs or handles here" says Naruto, looking to see if there was some sort of panel that needed to be pushed.

"How about we try knocking?" asked Matsuri before rapping her knuckles against the door.

"I really don't think anyone is here to hear..." Naruto starts to say, but stops as the door Matsuri had knocked against makes a creaking sound, then falls backwards; making a loud banging sound as it hits the ground.

"OK, that works for me" says Naruto, slowly and carefully stepping inside with Matsuri timidly stepping inside after him.

It wasn't a big room that they had stepped into, not that the collapsed floor and ceiling made it any bigger. Seeing a small hall on the far end; Naruto and Matsuri carefully made their way over to it, stepping lightly just encase the floor was weak so as to make sure it didn't give on them.

As they enter the hallway, Matsuri ask "So, what is a Casteopa anyways?"

"Small spheres, designed to contain an important remnant from the old world back before the Age of Darkness. To preserve these special places so that they could one day be returned" said Naruto.

"Doesn't look like its doing a good job" notes Matsuri, looking around.

As they stop and look inside a room, finding the ceiling having collapsed and crushed everything inside, Naruto says "This isn't what they wanted to preserve. All Casteopa are suppose to be within the Vault. The fact this one isn't means that it was created outside official channels. But the question is why would they seal this place into a Casteopa when its on the verge of a total collapse?"

As they look into another room, finding nothing but cracked walls and spider webs, Matsuri says "What if they didn't? What if we're not alone in here?"

"I thought of that myself. Question is can someone have entered here and not been able to escape like we can't? Could someone or something have been sealed in by accident? And could any living thing outside of plants be preserved within a place like this for as long as they have been around?

After checking the remaining rooms, finding nothing of interest, they arrive at the final set of doors, revealing a stair well beyond. "So, do we go up or down? Or just be smart and turn back?" asked Matsuri.

Naruto feels the wall, testing his ability to cling to it with chakra. He then examines the stairs for a moment and says "Up doesn't appear to go anywhere, based on the fact I can see a major gap heading up do to falling debris. So, I guess down. Let's hope we can find something helpful..."

Naruto took the lead, slowly and carefully making his way down into the basements levels of the building. Matsuri followed his every step carefully, both freezing when they heard a creak sound then moving forward when they felt it safe. After twenty minutes, the had gone as far as they could go.

Entering into another hall, this one appearing to be devoid of doors save for the collapsed elevator shaft, they proceed inward to see if there was anything further in beyond their sight. "This place sure is spooky" notes Matsuri.

"I'm getting the this place must be haunted by ghost and ghouls vibe myself" agrees Naruto.

"Naruto, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why were you in the ruins to begin with? I gather it was to escape the sand storm, but why were you traveling the Fumala desert for if you don't mind my asking?"

Naruto takes a second to think about hos response, then says "I guess you can say I'm on a journey to find myself; to find clarity and insight. A walkabout."

"I've never heard of this walkabout. How does it help find clarity and insight?" asked Matsuri.

Naruto chuckles, then says "Honestly, I'm not sure myself. I assumed just the traveling alone would be enough to do it, but I've been traveling for several weeks now and have had nothing. I've ran into a few old friends here and there, but have experienced nothing I was expecting. _Sigh _Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way..."

"Can I ask why your on this walkabout to begin with?" asked Matsuri.

For a moment, Naruto is silent, then says "A girl I really liked died recently, right in front of me too. And I wasn't able to do anything to save her. I lost myself in anger, sorrow, and darkness and I ended up hurting my friends who were trying to help me. I left on this journey with the hopes of finding direction with my life now because...I just feel so lost these days..."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked" says Matsuri, feeling bad for him. "My question must have brought up painful memories for you."

"Don't worry about it. It's a good thing to remind yourself why you're doing what you do" says Naruto, who then stops and looks at Matsuri. "Say, do you have anyone you like, Matsuri?"

"Um...yeah, I guess I do" says Matsuri, blushing and feeling shy. Was Naruto trying to hit on her?

"Have you told him how you feel yet?" asked Naruto.

Matsuri shakes her head, saying "No, I...I'm just afraid he won't accept me; that I'm not good enough."

Naruto reaches out and places a hand on her shoulder and says "Don't let fear stop you, ever. I...I was never able to tell Hinata how I felt about her before she died and her final words to me were of her love for me. I wish I could have one more moment with her, to tell her my feelings...but that won't happen. So don't hold back, Matsuri. The next time you see the guy you like, tell him how you feel or you may regret it forever."

"I'll try" says Matsuri.

They return to walking and soon enough see two massive doors standing in their way. After a check, Naruto finds these doors are much sturdier than the previous ones, meaning that something special lay beyond. So, he uses the chakra blade from a Shift Anchor to cut his way inside.

"OK, I think I know what this place may have been at one time" says Naruto, looking around the room.

There were research stations set up to one side, small containment cylinders containing various sized body parts on the other. And further in, a catwalk overlooking a massive room filled with containment cylinders of much larger size, holding full sized specimens within them.

"This entire complex must have been one giant research facility" says Naruto, walking over to the nearest cylinder. "And judging from what's inside here, they were researching Makian's."

"But why?" asked Matsuri before something caught her eye.

"Well, in our time, people call Makian's forth from the Makai Realm to create Jinchuriki by either sealing the Makian's chakra or the Makian itself within a human body. These guys..." he says while moving from one cylinder to another, "must have been doing forbidden research. Maybe dissecting Makian's in the hopes of seeing what made them tick or something."

Naruto then realizes Matsuri isn't with him and quickly looks around, becoming nervous that something had happened to her while he had been talking. Before he can call out for her, he hears "Naruto, I think I found something" coming from a small office nearby.

Naruto heads over in her direction and, in doing so, fails to notice glowing red eyes in the darkness watching him. As he enters the office, he says "Geez Matsuri, don't go running off like that. I thought something had happened to you for a second there."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But check this out" says Matsuri, showing him the device she found.

It was a piece of blue glass that covered her right eye, a small metal piece connecting it to another piece that fit snugly against her ear. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Matsuri, are you sure its OK to be wearing something like that?" asked Naruto.

"Not really, but it hasn't tried anything yet. When I first put it on, the blue glass showed me some weird letters and then this circle thing appeared at the center, then it went out on me. I guess its broken or something" she says, taking it off and handing it to Naruto.

"Broken, huh?" says Naruto, examining the device. "I wonder if it could have helped us?" he wonders aloud before deciding to try it on himself.

Just like Matsuri said, the moment he has it on does a series of letters he doesn't know appear upon the glass, followed by a circle. But unlike Matsuri, the circle quickly shifts from yellow to green, followed by more of the weird letters and a voice coming from the ear hugger, speaking an unknown language.

"Hey, why is it working for you and not me?" asked Matsuri.

"Beats me, not that it really matters seeing as I don't know what I'm being told" says Naruto.

As soon as he says that, a new set of letters appear upon the glass piece followed by an empty bar along the bottom that slowly starts to fill up. _'Now what's it doing/' _wonders Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto. Check this out" comes Matsuri's voice. Naruto then realizes that she had taken off again while he had been distracted and finds himself wondering if he needed to get a leash placed upon her as he goes to join her, deciding to keep this device on till at least the bar finished filling so as to see what it might do.

"Matsuri, where did you run off to now?" he shouts.

"Down here" comes her reply. "With the bigger cylinders."

Naruto exits the room, pushing the eye piece up onto his hair for now before getting to the catwalk and seeing Matsuri looking into the glass cylinders below. He then jumps down to join her as she says "These Makian's...they look almost human like to me..."

"I've seen many that do have a humanoid shape to them, but nothing like what these ones have" admits Naruto. He wasn't sure why, but these particular ones were making him feel very uneasy.

Matsuri then makes her way to one and laughs a bit. "Hey Naruto, check out this one that looks like a frog with a mohawk" she says looking at him, then back at the creature who immediately leans in and says "BOO."

Matsuri screams and falls backwards, getting Naruto to rush to her. "Matsuri, are you OK? What happened?"

"That one...its still alive" she says, pointing at the mohawked frog as it jumps out of the cylinder via a hole at the top and lands down by them. "Gwi-hah-hah-hah" he goes before jumping crazily around them, continuing to make its weird laugh like sound.

"I'd call him ugly before scary" says Naruto, watching the small Makian continue its mad hop. Getting annoyed, he pulls out a kunai and chucks it at the creature. "Cut it out" he shouts as the kunai impacts next to the creature, making it come to a dead stop.

The mohawked frog gives the kunai a puzzled look, then looks back at Naruto before giving him a wicked smile. His eyes then light up, glowing with an eerie red color, as the kunai also lights up, lifts into the air, then is sent flying at Matsuri's head, though Naruto catches it just before it can hit.

"That thing...it is a Makian" says Matsuri as Naruto helps her up.

"**Makian? Well, I suppose that's an acceptable name for one of the Makai Realm."**

"It can talk too?" she says, surprised as she had never heard of any Makian having that ability save for the nine Biju lords.

"What are you? Who are you?" shouts Naruto.

The creature chuckles, then says **"Joyrock is my name; Michigan J. of the Yoma."**

"A Yoma..." says Naruto, recalling that word from the past.

"**It sounds like you have heard our true name after all."**

"Naruto, what's a Yoma?" asked Matsuri.

"A while back, I heard that word used in a village called Takeihama. Yoma is suppose to be an ancient word describing the Makian's, but I never heard that they could talk like this. Nor have I ever heard them talk when I battled them in the past."

"**First time you have heard my kind talk, eh? Well, I guess that means the Yoma have been weakened and lessened do to the victory over our master by that ring eyed man..."**

"Your master? You mean the Jubi?" asked Naruto as he reached into his pouch and grabbing a few paper bombs his sister (actually, cousin) Karin had given him before they had parted.

"**Jubi? Our master? Just what on earth are you talking about?"**

"Matsuri, hold on" shouts Naruto, taking the moment to toss the paper bombs out and around the mohawked frog, several hitting tanks with flammable symbols on them. He then grabs Matsuri and leaps out and runs towards the hallway while making a hand sign.

"**How rude. Just running off like that without even answer my quest..."**

The paper bombs go off, cutting off Joyrock's words. And the ones connected to the flammable tanks ignite others in the room, causing the explosion to become far, far stronger. "The building...its collapsing" shouts Matsuri as Naruto races up the stair way, which starts to collapse itself from Naruto's run. Luckily, Naruto is able to stay ahead and soon makes it back to the lobby and manages to get himself and Matsuri out just in time. Placing her down on the ground, they look back and watch as the main facility collapses in on itself.

"You think its dead?" asked Matsuri.

Naruto shrugs, then says "I'm more worried about the building. I wasn't meaning to bring the whole thing down like that. I mean, what if our only escape was in there and now its lost to us?"

"What?" shouts Matsuri, having forgotten about that detail.

"Still, I wonder what he meant though? Was he saying the Jubi wasn't their master?" wondered Naruto aloud. He was wishing he had asked Joyrock about that before blowing him up.

PING

"What was that?" says Naruto, looking around quickly.

"I think it was the device I found."

Recalling the device, Naruto brings it back down over his right eye again and sees words he can read appearing on the eye piece. "It's saying universal linguistic adaption complete. Now its saying thank you for using OAcle for all my informational needs."

"What's an OAcle?" asked Matsuri.

More words appear to Naruto. "It says it means Optical Analyzer monocle. I guess it can give information when asked or shown or something."

"Hm, I wonder why it didn't work for me then?" she says in a huff.

More words appear as a small circle appears upon her from the OAcle's perspective. "its saying your DNA wasn't programmed into its user database or something. But mine was. Not that I see how..." Then more words scroll across, making Naruto add "Because I'm a close genetic match to Musashi and Amarillo? Say what?"

"Who?" asked Matsuri.

"Long story, I'll explain later" says Naruto. If he was reading this right, it was telling him that he was their grandchild. But that was impossible as it would mean he was several thousand years old. The device had to be broken or something. "Anyway, I have an idea. OAcle, can you help us escape from this Casteopa?"

After a second, an arrow appears on the eye piece, pointing Naruto to one of the four towers. Once looking at it, the arrow turns into a small circle located mid way up the tower. "This way" he says, leading Matsuri to the tower and, he hoped, their freedom.

**(outside the Casteopa)**

Gaara looked to the path Matsuri had taken, still hearing no footsteps approaching. It had been twenty five minutes since they were suppose to meet back here and he was getting progressively worried. After all, what if robbers were using this place as a hide out and Matsuri stumbled upon them?

Not liking where this trail of thought was going, Gaara begins walking towards Matsuri's path to start looking for her, hoping she hadn't gotten herself in any trouble.

**(back inside)**

"So, is it really up there?" asked Matsuri.

"Yeah, but we have one little problem" admits Naruto as they stop before the tower.

"What is it?" asked Matsuri.

"What's contained in the tower is the emergency release mechanism, according to the OAcle. If we use it, we can escape. But we'll also be releasing this whole facility back into the world as well. I'm not sure if this will be dangerous for us or not; being in here when that happens as its recommended we aren't when that happens. But if nothing else, we have to make sure this place is destroyed afterwords."

"Yeah, something tells me a place like this should have been left in the past" says Matsuri, agreeing.

"Well, lets head inside then..." says Naruto before a whip like beam of energy punctures through his stomach.

"Naruto" shouts Matsuri as a void of dark energy appears behind him.

"**Boy, you really know how to bring the house down" **jokes Joyrock, appearing before them from the portal.

He was no longer a small, frog like creature, but had morphed into a slender humanoid like form that stood ten feet tall. His smooth green, slimy skin with purple armored parts located upon it and a red jewel at the center of his chest. A snake like tongue, glowing red eyes, and flesh ripping teeth making up his new physical features.

"**So, you planning on releasing us from this place? Fine with me. I'm tired of being stuck in here with nothing to do except play around with dead body parts."**

Naruto, despite having a hole in his stomach, pulls out his Shift Anchors and charges at Joyrock, saying "Not until I kill you first..."

He leaps into the air, a chakra blade erupting from one of the Anchor's that he sends slashing down at Joyrock, who simply grabs the blade in his hand as if it was a dull, blunt attack. Naruto is so surprised to see this, he loses focus and Joyrock, seeing an open, uses his clawed hands to leave an even deeper gash upon Naruto, going from his chest to his stomach.

"Naruto" shouts Matsuri, running at Joyrock despite not having a weapon on her.

Joyrock chuckles as he makes another energy whip from his hands and sends it outwards, wrapping itself around her neck and making Matsuri scream from the burning feeling before whipping it around and slamming her into the tower, knocking her out.

"**My thanks, little boy. I've been searching this place over for who knows how long, trying to find a way to escape. Now, due to your ability to use that eye thingy, I now know its in this tower here. That will make freedom much easier now."**

Naruto struggles to free himself, but finds his wounds leaving him in a weakened state, making him drop his Shift Anchor's as a result. He wonders if there's some sort of paralyzing agent on Joyrock's talons that would be able to do this. Joyrock then leans in and sniffs Naruto just a quick bit.

"**Forgive my manners" **says Joyrock before smiling deviously. **"What an odd yet curious smell. At first, I could swore I smelt the essence of a Kaiju upon you. Yet the smell is tainted, like the Jubi's. But there's one thing I am sure of and that is you have Elma blood within you."**

_'What? Kaiju, taint, Jubi? And now something about Elma blood? Just what is this guy talking about?' _wonders Naruto. "Explain..." he says. "What do...you mean...by all of that?"

"**Well, I guess I can tell you. Right before I was captured, I was attacking a small village called Mipross, home to a group of human's who called themselves Elma. They were famous for their fair skin and hair color and ears like that of an elf from fables and fair tales. But it was their extraordinary life force I was interested in. You see, I attacked and consumed many of them to make my own life force stronger."**

"You sick..." says Naruto.

Joyrock laughs and adds **"Wondering why, I imagine? Well, I heard a boy who was causing my master a great deal of headache had his roots with the Elma through his mother, a girl I believe was named Uzumakie. But I can't be sure as I never much cared for details."**

_'A boy? Does he mean the Sage?' _wonders Naruto, but then realizes he needs to distract this guy for a moment. "Your master? You mean the Jubi right?"

"**I wonder."**

Joyrock then laughs, not seeing the ball of spiraling chakra forming in Naruto's hand. The OAcle suddenly alerts Naruto, telling him where to hit Joyrock for maximum damage. "Hey ugly, surprise...RASENGAN."

Before Joyrock can react, Naruto presses the attack against the red jewel at the center of his chest, causing the Yoma to scream in pain as his body is ripped apart and blasted back. Naruto, though in a bad way, makes his way over to Matsuri, finding her still alive and starting to awaken.

"Naruto?" she says weakly as her eyes slowly open.

"I...I'm here...and he's dead" says Naruto.

"**Guess again" **comes Joyrock, picking himself up and showing his wound was already healing. **"Why so surprised? I've been in here so long that I figured out how to use this place to my advantage. I've used its restorative power to keep me going and I'm the one who kept you from leaving. The only way to kill me is to take me out of here."**

"Well that sucks" says Naruto.

"What do we do now?" asked Matsuri as Joyrock begins walking towards them again.

"OAcle, can you tell me how to disengage the Casteopa?" asked Naruto.

"But he'll escape..."

"Not if I kill him first" says Naruto as the device gives him his answer; destroy the tower to force trigger the release. Naruto forms another Rasengan and slams it into the tower, causing it to creak, crack, and finally begin to collapse.

"**Thanks for that, kid."**

With the tower now destroyed, the whole area begins shaking and warping as the whole wold around them falls into an insane spiral of chaos.

**(Gaara)**

"So, you were pulled in there" says Gaara, looking at the Casteopa, feeling Matsuri's chakra along with another chakra signature that feels very familiar to him.

Suddenly, the sphere's light begins to pulse wildly and cracks begin to form. Following his instincts, Gaara quickly surrounds himself with sand as the Casteopa shatters and the research complex comes expanding outwards rapidly, throwing Gaara's sand sphere back and destroying the ruins.

Once he was sure it was safe, Gaara lowers the sand and finds himself outside, looking upon the remains of the research facility. He then sees Matsuri and, to his surprise, Naruto as well. Then, he sees Joyrock as well and, knowing he was an enemy, moves immediately to take him out.

"Now, to finish you off" says Naruto, forming another Rasengan in his hand.

"**While that might be amusing to see you try, I'm afraid I must decline. From my meeting of you two, I have learned things have changed within my home. Things that have given rise to an opportunity I simply can't pass up."**

"Like what?" ask Matsuri.

"**Why, becoming the new top dog in town of course" **says Joyrock while making a portal open behind him. **"But know this...we will meet again."**

But before Joyrock can enter the portal, the finds a torrent of sand suddenly rising up all around him and entrapping him, restricting his movements. "Gaara" cries Matsuri happily as she sees him walking up.

"Gaara..." says Naruto, surprised to see it was Gaara who Matsuri had been talking about before.

"You aren't going anywhere. Sand Coffin" says Gaara, causing the sand covering Joyrock to crush inward with a deep disturbing sound. But no blood comes seeping through.

"He escaped after all..." says Gaara, not feeling the Yoma inside now.

"Gaara-sensei" cries Matsuri, catching Gaara by surprise with a fierce hug.

"Long time no see, Red. Gotta admit, I never thought you were the one Matsuri was talking about" says Naruto, walking over and joining them.

"What is going on here? Why are you here?" asked Gaara.

"This is gonna take some time to explain. It all started..."

**(Avalon Casteopa)**

Hanabi could feel herself coming back to consciousness as the liquid around her drained away. She could then feel a towel being placed around her as she hears Mada's voice ask "So, how are you feeling?"

"Mm, Groggy and a little head-achy" admits Hanabi. "So, have I awakened the Byakugan?"

"Open your eyes and we'll see" was Mada's response.

Hanabi realizes that she did still have her eyes closed and opens them slowly. Despite the room not having much light within it, she still found the little light present to hurt a little and her vision was blurry which was very disorienting for her. Mada reaches out and braces her, keeping her from falling.

"And yes, you have awakened your Byakugan, child" she adds, seeing clearly Hanabi no longer had her families brown eyes, but the lavender color of the Byakugan.

"I feel really weird and my vision just won't focus..." says Hanabi.

"To be expected, given the change to both your eyes and the manner in which your brain perceives the images its being sent now. Here, let me help you dress then we'll head home so you can get some sleep. With a little rest, you'll be back to feeling one hundred percent with eyes that see far better than ever before. And then the hard part starts" says Mada.

"The hard part?" asked Hanabi.

"Yes, both your training to become my successor and now adding Byakugan training along with, eventually, Kokugan training as well. It won't be easy for you, on you, but you'll need to be able to persever for both his sake and yours too" says Mada.

"I understand; I will succeed" says Hanabi. "Um...what's this about a Kokugan though?"

Mada laughs and says "I'll explain later, as we head back. Which reminds me, we still have a pit stop to make on our way home. After all, I promised you a Harmonia after all..."

**(Desert)**

"...and then we get to where we are now" says Naruto, finishing his explanation.

"I understand" says Gaara.

"Hey, what should we do about this place?" asked Matsuri, talking about the ruined research facility.

"Gaara, can you manipulate your sand in a large enough manner to make it completely cover this place and crush it, leaving it forever lost to the desert sands?" asked Naruto.

"It will be difficult, but not impossible. But why destroy it?" asked Gaara.

"Because this place captured Yoma, dissected them, and tried to find ways to weaponize them; all for selfish human desires. And its possible they created and experimented on Jinchuriki as well" says Naruto. "A place like this, should never exist in this world."

"Agreed" says Gaara as he raises both hands up, causing all the sand around the complex to shake and rise into the air in such a way as to be called impressive. It was a massive strain for even Gaara to do, but he didn't let up as the facility slowly began to sink deeper as more and more sand was being pulled around and over it. Once he was satisfied that it was enough, Gaara sends the whole sand crashing down atop and around the facility. "And now, Giant Sand Burial" says Gaara, making the now swallowed facility be crushed by all the sand above it.

After the deafening crunching sound, Gaara collapses to his knees, breathing and sweating heavily as Matsuri kneels down by him and wipes his forehead with her scarf. "There, it is done" he says.

"Oh man" says Naruto, getting their attention. "The OAcle stopped working. I guess it won't work without the facility. Oh well, them's the breaks I guess."

Two hours later, the three of them reach the top of a sand dune and Matsuri says "If you head in that direction, Naruto, you'll finally reach the end of the desert and be free to continue your walkabout."

"Thanks for showing me the way out, guys" says Naruto. He then looks at Gaara and ask "So, have you given it any thought?", referring to their talk during the walk about Mada and her offer to train Jinchuriki in gaining control of their power.

"I don't know" says Gaara, not certain if he should have total control over his power. "But, maybe one day perhaps..."

"Then let me tell you how to find us should you ever change your mind" says Naruto, telling Gaara the portals location. "Take care of yourself, Red. And Matsuri, be honest about how you feel.:

"Yeah" says Matsuri before looking at Gaara. "Gaara-sensei..."

"Hm?" says Gaara, wondering what this was about.

**To be con...**

"I love you, Gaara" she says with a blush on her cheeks.

_'Wow, she really did say it. Good for her...' _thinks Naruto, happy she was able to do it._._

**To be continued...**


	10. 10 Spiral Walkabout 6

Blue Fire explodes against him, blasting Naruto back and slamming him hard against the wall of granite. The impact had been so great, that he made him cough up blood as his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. He desperately tried to move, but his body refused to heed him.

"**Get up"** says Yugito coldly. **"You are a Jinchuriki and I know you have gained some control over that power since the Shadow Test. Quit holding back and use it."**

"...no..." says Naruto weakly as he finally gets his hands under him to start lifting him back up.

"**Do you want to lose? You know you can't beat me otherwise"** says Yugito, her blue/purple colored chakra cloak now glowing brighter and more menacing like. **"Don't be afraid of what it could bring and call it out...or my next attack will end it for you. And you know what will happen if you lose here."**

"I said no..." says Naruto, finally picking himself up but having to hug his sides with one hand from the broken ribs he had. "This isn't about winning or losing for me, but proving a point. That always relying on the Biju chakra isn't always necessary."

Yugito looks at him for just a second, then shakes her head sadly. **"Such a fool. As a Jinchuriki, I would have thought you'd have realized by now the Biju power is our greatest weapon to wield and to not use it means we are weak cowards."**

She then begins drawing in energy into her hands, forming a ball of blue/purple flame. **"Sorry for this will hurt you greatly. But tough love is always apart of our training as Kumo and this will make for a good first lesson...soon to be fellow Kumo. Biju art: Phantom Flame Purge."**

The Phantom Flame suddenly doubles to triple its previous size before she breaks into a single turn, chucking the flame at him with blinding speed. For him, it was now or never. Either he proved himself right or he would fall and find himself becoming a prisoner of Kumo forever.

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.10: Spiral Walkabout conclusion**

**(the day before)**

How long had it been now, Naruto wondered, since he had left Sanctuary? He had been in Keishu were he had met Utakata and Hotaru. Then he had crossed over into Dumo and encountered Shino, Roushi, and his long lost cousin, Karin. Then, he had been in Fumala where Gaara and Matsuri were.

And now, he was somewhere within the mountainous region of Shauti; home of the Kumo. He had hesitated in coming here as this region was the least friendly for travelers; ninja's or not. But this was the only area beside his own home in the Senai region he had yet to explore during his walkabout.

It had been more than a month since leaving, he knew that much. And, to be honest, he was becoming both tired of this journey and was starting to miss everyone. And on top of that, he still wasn't sure he was doing this whole walkabout thing correctly.

_'Maybe I should have boned up on the practice by reading that book that talked about it again before leaving' _thinks Naruto as he carefully made his way through a dangerously rocky path.

He had already come to a decision. He would give himself one week here in this region, then head to Senai and spend a week there. Then, if he had still failed to have his moment of clarity and insight, he would call this walkabout a failure and head back to Sanctuary, hoping ancient granny had an idea about how he could find his purpose again.

Naruto comes to a stop as he sees a tough vertical climb before him. "Oh well, only way to go now is up" he says to himself before his eyes fall onto the large collection of bones laying around, along with the remains of dead, half eaten animals. It occurs then to Naruto that this place probably wasn't safe.

A loud growl sends him spinning around only to find himself being slammed into hard bu a cougar, knocking him down onto the ground. The next thing he knows, the beast immediately bites into his shoulder, attempting to get to his neck to kill him and making him howl in pain.

On a reflects, Naruto makes a Rasengan and forces it against the cougar, blasting it off him along with a descent amount of shoulder flesh as well. Naruto nearly passes out from the pain and sudden blood loss as the deep bite quickly begins releasing more blood.

"I...I need...to get...outta he...re" he says, his stance weak and wobbly.

He curses himself as his burred vision sees several more cougar appear, one of which goes to help itself by feeding on the one Naruto had just killed. He should have realized that traversing an area like this would be dangerous. Kakashi-sensei had told him as much during their time together.

He goes to move, but the act was more than his body was ready for and he finally gives in to the release of sleep. His final thoughts are of knowing he was dead already and hoping he'd see her again, one more time once he got to the other side.

"...hinata..."

Seeing their meal down and out, the other cougars move in to have their desired treat when a shadow passes over them, coming to stand between them and their prey. The figure looks back at the unconscious Naruto and says "Hold for a moment, boy. I'll tend to you quick enough."

He then pulls out his twin samurai style swords, then charges at the cougars to make this end quickly so he could tend to the boy. And to take these beast for his next several meals too. After all, cougar meat was quite tasty when cooked right with the correct spices added.

It was well into the dark of night before Naruto's eyes opened. At first, all he could see was the black of the sky and he wondered if he was indeed dead? If so, then the afterlife was looking to be a serious letdown thus far. But then he realizes he can see stars too, along with the feel of the wind, the sound of fire crackling and shadows from the fire being cast upon the stone surface, and the smell of food cooking.

He groans as he tries to sit up. "Easy boy, you took on quite the injury" comes the voice of the stranger who had saved him before. "Though your wound is healing rather quickly, not that I'm not surprised."

Naruto then sees the man, sitting on the far side of the fire from him, dressed in red colored armor that looked to be specially designed, his mouth and nose covered by a mask much like Kakashi-sensei's, and a large bowl like hat atop his head.

"I'm...alive?" says Naruto.

"Indeed you are. Luckily I was nearby and sensed the trouble; otherwise you'd be in many piece inside the stomach of those cougars, being digested by stomach acids now" says the man.

"Yeah, you're right. That was careless of me, not being more focused when I knew I was traversing a dangerous area. I'm Naruto, by the way. Naruto Uzumaki."

The man gives a curt nod, then says "I am Han, a traveler of a sort. Now, you must be hungry. Luckily, you woke up just in time as dinner is just now ready to eat." Han then begins to take the cougar meat from the fire and placing it on a make shift plate.

_'Han? Where have I heard that name...oh, I remember' _thinks Naruto, recalling his meeting with the members of Underground. "Excuse, I was wondering if you were..."

"Eat now, talk after" says Han, handing him his meal before attending to his own.

Naruto accepts the meal and says "Thank you" before blowing gently on the meat before chowing down. After twenty minutes, Naruto takes a drink to finish washing the last of the meal down.

"Now, what was it you were asking me before?" asked Han.

"I was wondering if you were the Han from Chin-Xi?"

Han is silent for a moment, then says "Perhaps. May I ask why you assume I am?"

"A few months back, I was there and met with a man named Choza, a Djinn for the Imperial family and leader of a resistance movement called Underground that is opposed to the rule of Danzo" says Naruto.

"Ah, now I see" says Han, taking a drink. "So Choza has survived and is fighting back. I am glad to hear this."

"So you are him" says Naruto, getting a nod in response. "I also know about your princess, Mae; better known now as Tenten of the Order of Ama" says Naruto.

"Do you now?" asked Han, unsure if that sat well with him.

"When I returned, I asked her about it and she confirmed my thoughts...by accident" says Naruto.

Han sighs and says "She never was good at keeping secrets when called on it."

"I can agree with that one" says Naruto. "Anyway, I told her about the current situation there and I even offered her aid should she ever decide to return and retake her throne. Though she made it clear she couldn't return. Not yet anyways..."

"Likely because she is waiting for my return first" admits Han.

"Then why don't you? The people of Chin-Xi are suffering under Danzo's rule and the Underground and the other resistance movements can't take direct action without their princess to reclaim her throne should they succeed. They need her and she needs you..." says Naruto.

Han raises his hand to stop his talking and says "This I am well aware. But I cannot return to her, not until I find something of importance."

"Can I ask what it is?" asked Naruto.

"The place where it began and by that, this world we currently live in. What I seek is the location of the Seal of Makai. The barrier that exist between our two worlds has weakened, that much is obvious. I want to find the seal point in order to learn why this is so" says Han.

"I always assumed it had just grown weaker over time."

"Once, I believed such as well. But I have since learned that this isn't the case. The seal should have remained strong for another two thousand years. Something or someone has done something to accelerate its weakening and I wish to learn how and why" says Han.

"I see..." says Naruto, going quiet. _'I wonder if ancient granny knows of this? When I return to Sanctuary, I should ask her about it.'_

"Now, I have a question for you" says Han.

"Yes, what is it?"asked Naruto.

"Before, you said you told Mae you'd help her retake her throne and save Chin-Xi from Danzo. May I ask how you plan on doing this?"

"Well..." says Naruto, hesitant to tell him the truth; partly because he was afraid this man would turn him away or even attack him for being a Jinchuriki and partly because he now had doubts about his ability to actually help Tenten.

"Is it because you our a Jinchuriki? Containing the chakra of a Biju within you?" asked Han.

Naruto was shocked to hear Han already knew his secret and ask "How?"

"When I was patching you up, I saw your wound healing much faster than is possible for an average human. Thus, I concluded you have Biju chakra as it makes the most sense. Also, I sensed the power within you as well. But fear not, for I am not an enemy for you to fear. For you see, I too am Jinchuriki."

"You..." says Naruto, surprised.

"I have the chakra of Gobi within me" says Han.

Naruto wanted to ask how and when, but decides to not as he knew talking about him own origins was difficult enough so asking another would be unfair. "Tell me something; why didn't you use your Biju power when you were attacked? It would have saved you a lot of grief...not to mention nearly dying."

"I...I can't use it these days. I...it scares me to use it to be honest" admits Naruto.

"May I ask why?"

"Recently, a girl who meant everything to me...was killed. I fell into a dark and evil place because of that. And I nearly killed my friends, all for the sake of making the darkness within me stronger. Because of that, I'm afraid of what would happen if I use it again while I am the way I currently am."

"I see...I understand" says Han. "So, why are you out here if I may ask?"

"I's on a walkabout; trying to find clarity and insight to help me know how to move forward with my life. After what has happened, both with Hinata and my friends, I fear I can't see any path before me at present, hence the walkabout...to find that path again" says Naruto.

_'Hinata? I see, that poor girl'_ thinks Han, recalling his meeting with the kind hearted girl a while back.

"To be honest, I'm beginning to worry about my journey. I've been on this walkabout for a month now. Yet I haven't had anything even close to being like what I read about in the book it was mentioned in" admits Naruto.

"Probably because a book can only tell you so much, boy. Generally, you need one who has experienced a walkabout or at least knows about the intimate details to teach the means for you. Luckily, I happen to know the means" says Han.

"Wait, you do?" asked Naruto.

Han nods and says "I have an ancestor on my mother's side who was from Syndia and, as such, traditions have been passed down from one generation to another."

"Then can you tell me what it is I'm doing wrong?" asked Naruto.

Han gives this some thought, then says "If memory serves, you usually go into the wilderness, away from all human contact; tracing the path of the songlines and, on occasion, imitating the actions of past heroes. Usually, you will eventually reach a point physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually where you fall into a trance and, while in that trance, you experience an epiphany, a moment of perfect clarity and insight. And from that, you find what it is you seek."

"Then I guess I know why I haven't had any success then" says Naruto, knowing his journey didn't exactly match up with what Han had told him.

"But no matter. I happen to know an alternate method that can be used in emergencies" says Han.

"Seriously?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, but it will have to wait till tomorrow as it will require us to make a little trip to the nearest songline location. Also, you need more time to recover as being a Jinchuriki alone isn't enough to make your injuries mute" says Han.

"I understand" says Naruto, knowing his shoulder was still incredibly sore.

"Now, lets get some sleep. Tomorrow will you you knowing your path" says Han.

**(Ame)**

_Hinata opened her eyes, finding a strange mist filling the air. Confused and a little afraid, she sits up in her bed and finds herself in her room within the Temple of Ama. "What? Why am I here? I thought we had left the temple behind?" she says to herself before getting up._

_She finds her window open and sees nothing but a dense mist outside, obscuring everything from view. Figuring it was the source of the mist in her room, she quickly closes the window, shivering from the sudden chill she was feeling. She walks over to her dresser and pulls out some warmer robes to wear._

_Feeling hungry, she leaves her room, finding the halls filled with the mist as well. "Hey, can anyone hear me?" she shouts, getting no response. Becoming nervous, she heads towards the main entry hall, then the dinning room followed by the library, finding no sign of anyone anywhere. She decides to head into the underground training facility next._

_As she heads down the stairs, she can't shake a feeling growing within her that is making her feel jittery and scared. Then, she enters the training hall and freezes in mid step. Before her lay the bodies of all her Sister's, including Tenten and Chiyo, dead, savagely shredded and blood everywhere. She covers her mouth in horror before vomiting from the sight. And then, she hears a blood freezing roar followed by seeing something moving towards her from within the mist._

_Hinata turns and runs as fast and far as she can, knowing that something that could kill the Order would make easy work of her as well. The next thing she knows, she finds herself entering Senhana where she quickly rush's to the tree Naruto lived in. But again, she could find nothing._

_As she exits, she then sees what she failed to see before. Dead, bloody, bodies; savagely ripped in half by an unknown force scattered all over the forest city. As she backs away in fear, she feels a hand come to rest against her shoulder; and hand covered in chakra with razor like fingernails._

_**HINATA**_

_Hinata screams as she rushes away, knowing this beast was following her. Where could she go? Who could protect her? Suddenly she finds herself outside her home of Tamatsa and she hesitates to pass inside._

"_Sister..." comes a familiar voice._

"_Hanabi, is that you?" shouts Hinata._

"_Sister, I'm scared. Something is here and...its killed father. Please, save me."_

_\_

_Hinata rushes in, desperate to save her sister. As soon as she passes the walls of the Hyuga clan's compound, she sees her sisters face through the mist. "Hanabi, I'm here..." Hinata says, but stops as the entity who has pursued her appears behind Hanabi and showing he was holding onto Hanabi's severed head, making Hinata scream._

_And then, she finally sees the face of the monster; Naruto, who grins evilly at her. **"I will take everything away from you.**" he says before laughing, making Hinata shake her head before screaming._

_Hanabi's eyes open and says "You know what you must do, sister..."_

Hinata screams as she awakens from her nightmare, sitting up in her bed and looking around desperately, finding herself still in her room inside the central Ame tower. She wipes the sweat from her face with her sleeves before getting up and heading to her bathroom to splash water on her face.

_'A dream...it was just a dream' _she thinks as she looks into the mirror. But it wasn't that simple, she knew that. This wasn't so much a dream, but a premonition; a warning of things to come should she not act now. Her eyes become serious as she finally accepts what it is she has to do.

Outside, in the hallway, Human Realm smiles as he walks away. _'Just as I suspected. One little nightmare was more than enough to push her into our hands and ways of thinking.'_

**(Kumo)**

Yugito yawned as she made her way through the empty streets of the hidden cloud village. Even after all this time, it still amazed her that their ancestors had actually been able to carve this city out of the mountain side...well, maybe that itself wasn't impressive. But the fact the had done this at the peek of the highest mountain in Shumoa, so high up that it could be obscured by clouds, was impressive.

Returning her thoughts to the task at hand, she wonders why the council had summoned her. Had something happened to lord Raikage and Bee? She was aware that they were off on a retreat; likely at the secret training grounds used by both the Raikage of the past and the Jinchuriki of Kumo to improve themselves through intense, deadly battle. She had been there a few times herself.

Entering the council chambers, her eyes immediately fall onto Sokudo, the head elder of the Kumo council. "You wanted to see me?" she asked, walking up to the old man.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Yugito. And I apologize for waken you at so late an hour, but we have an emergency" says Sokudo.

"What is it?" ask Yugito, any trace of exhaustion gone now.

"Our sensor's have detected two unknown Jinchuriki having entered Shauti territory and neither have any additional chakra signatures with them, suggesting they are alone. It's possible they could be Jinchuriki you and Bee encountered during the Shadow Test."

"Do you want me to find them and bring them back here?" she asked.

"We already know where to find them, but we do need you to bring them back here no matter what" says Sokudo.

"Understood, sir. But what if they're just passing through the region and not wishing to join us after all?" she asked.

"Regardless of their purpose, you are ordered to bring them back here, no matter what. Use force if necessary to make it happen" says Sokudo.

"I understand sir. But what about lord Raikage? I doubt very much he would agree with this action; forcing them to come here if they don't come willingly"points out Yugito.

"This may have been true in the past, but things have changed" says Sokudo. "As you know, Yugito, we of Kumo have been aware of what has been going on in Ame for well over a year while the other villages have only just recently began to learn of what we know. We also know that these Akatsuki plan on targeting Jinchuriki who contain the Biju chakra within them, which both these two have. Understand this isn't about the village but the nine of you. You nine need to be protected and here in Kumo, we can offer protection like no other village can. It's unfair but what choice do we have?"

"I understand, sir. I'll bring them back here for their own safety...even if I have to drag them back" says Yugito. "So, where can I find them?"

**(morning of the next day)**

"We are getting closer" says Han as he looks at the sharp climb before them.

Behind him, Naruto comes to a stop and ask "Is it OK if we take a break? I'm feeling strangely drained right now."

"Go ahead and take a rest" says Han as he watches Naruto find a nice, smooth rock to sit upon. "How's your shoulder?"

"Still sore, but better than yesterday" admits Naruto, though he can't help but wonder if there was something wrong with Kyubi's chakra? Normally, he should have already fully recovered from this type of injury and though he was healing fast, it just seemed like it wasn't fast enough.

"Wait here, Naruto. I need to go collect a few things for the ritual" says Han before walking off.

Guessing her might be here for a while, Naruto reaches into his pack and pulls out some food Han had given him before they had begun their walk early and started eating it. After an hour had passed, he was beginning to worry something had happened.

_'I wonder if I should go look for him?' _thinks Naruto. He then dismisses that thought, figuring if there was anyone who could handle themselves in a pinch, it was Han. A sudden shadow crosses over Naruto, bringing him into an alert state as a figure comes landing a few feet away from him.

"I must admit, I never would have guessed you would be one of the two coming into our lands, Naruto Uzumaki" says Yugito as she turns to face him.

"I know you" says Naruto, recalling her face from the Shadow Test. "You're Yugito Nii, that Kumo chunin who was masquerading as a genin so she could identify Jinchuriki from other villages."

"I'm glad to see you recall my name despite the time that has passed, just as I can tell you have become much stronger than what you were the last time we met. So tell me, Naruto. Why have you come to the Shauti Region? Have you decided to join us in Kumo?"

"Sorry, but no. I'm kind of taking a sabbatical from the ninja life to find myself. To that end, I have been traveling around, gaining experiences and seeing things to help enrich my life" says Naruto, figuring that explanation was as good as any other he could give without speaking on the actual reason.

"I see" says Yugito, looking down sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that, my Jinchuriki brother. Please, forgive me for this..."

The next thing Naruto knows, Yugito vanishes from sight only to reappear instantly before him, bringing her fist aimed to impact against his stomach, to which he pivots his body to avoid the attack, then grabs her wrist with one hand while using the other to grab her shoulder, pinning her hand against her back.

"Why are you attacking me?" he shouts.

"My orders are clear..." she says as she suddenly drops down, using her body weight to knock Naruto off kilter enough so Yugito could then use her free hand to grab and through Naruto over her and onto his back. "...I am to bring you back to Kumo, no matter what. It's for your own protection."

"Yeah right..." says Naruto, spinning himself suddenly and catching Yugito off guard and knocking her off her feet. Naruto then springs back onto his feet and says "I'm not going anywhere I don't want to go. And if you try to take me by force, you will regret it."

Yugito quickly gets back on her feet and says "Look, Naruto, I'm sorry. I don't like doing this to you as it flies in the face of everything I believe and said to you and the others back then. But please understand, I have no choice here. We, you and me and the others, we're all being hunted by this group called the Akatsuki. Kumo is the safest place for us right now."

"I already know about that; about them. I've battled them before and I'm still free" he says, then mentally adds _'Granted, that first encounter had us being saved by ancient granny and the second had that Pain guy retreating because the Order was about to arrive.'_

"I'm sorry, Naruto. But orders are orders. I will take you back to Kumo, even if I have to beat you into unconsciousness to do so" shouts Yugito before entering Mazuko Mode; minus the control mask.

"**I'm so sorry for this, brother. Please forgive me" **she says before launching a new attack against Naruto.

Naruto knows trying to strike back would be pointless, so he instead tries to dodge her attack and hope he might get an opening to counter attack, but her speed and reaction time were far better than his. Even though he dodges her first attack, a chakra tail comes around, smacking him up into the sky.

Now in midair, Naruto forms a Rasengan in his hand while twisting his body back to look at her as she comes flying up after him. Just as she gets close enough, Naruto thrust the attack out at her, hoping to blow Yugito back to the ground, but she releases a chakra claw from her hand and is able to crush his chakra sphere before belting him in the stomach, then spinning around and kicking him back down into the ground; his impact making a crater.

As Naruto slowly picks himself up, coughing up blood and feeling his shoulder having been fudged up again from the landing. Yugito floats down and says** "What are you waiting for? I can sense you have gained some control over your Biju's power. Enter Mazuko Mode unless you really want me to take you back."**

"No..." says Naruto, standing on wobbly feet and giving her a cocky grin. "That power isn't an answer to everything. And I don't want to become dependent on it either. To become so will weaken me as a human. I am defined by what it is I can do, not Kyubi's."

"**I understand your reasons, but to always deny it in times of need isn't itself an answer either" **she says as her chakra cloak begins to glow brighter and more fiercely.

Naruto knew she was right as well. If he didn't go Mazuko, he would lose this fight without a doubt. But, if he did go Mazuko, would he be able to control it or would Yami...? He shakes his head; no, he wouldn't do it. Not when he was suffering so much personal doubt now. There was only one choice left.

Naruto breaks away into as fast a run as he could. Though he didn't like it, he had to find Han and hope he could handle Yugito as well. Being a Jinchuriki himself, he at least had a chance unlike Naruto did now. But a sudden wall of blue fire suddenly appears before him, blocking his escape.

He turns and sees a wall of the blue fire was surrounding both him and Yugito like a cage. But in this cage, he was the prey to her predator. **"If you won't transform, then further fighting is pointless. "** A ball of ghostly blue fire appears in her hands.** "Demon art; Phantom Flame Purge."** She then sends the phantom flame flying at Naruto.

Blue Fire explodes against him, blasting Naruto back and slamming him hard against the wall of granite. The impact had been so great, that he made him cough up blood as his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. He desperately tried to move, but his body refused to heed him.

"**Get up"** says Yugito coldly. **"You are a Jinchuriki and I know you have gained some control over that power since the Shadow Test. Quit holding back and use it."**

"...no..." says Naruto weakly as he finally gets his hands under him to start lifting him back up.

"**Do you want to lose? You know you can't beat me otherwise"** says Yugito, her blue/purple colored chakra cloak now glowing brighter and more menacing like. **"Don't be afraid of what it could bring and call it out...or my next attack will end it for you. And you know what will happen if you lose here."**

"I said no..." says Naruto, finally picking himself up but having to hug his sides with one hand from the broken ribs he had. "This isn't about winning or losing for me, but proving a point. That always relying on the Biju chakra isn't always necessary."

Yugito looks at him for just a second, then shakes her head sadly. **"Such a fool. As a Jinchuriki, I would have thought you'd have realized by now the Biju power is our greatest weapon to wield and to not use it means we are weak cowards."**

She then begins drawing in energy into her hands, forming a ball of blue/purple flame. **"Sorry for this will hurt you greatly. But tough love is always apart of our training as Kumo and this will make for a ****good first lesson...soon to be fellow Kumo. Biju art: Phantom Flame Purge."**

The Phantom Flame suddenly doubles to triple its previous size before she breaks into a single turn, chucking the flame at him with blinding speed. For him, it was now or never. Either he proved himself right or he would fall and find himself becoming a prisoner of Kumo forever.

The attack slams into Naruto, enveloping him in an explosion and smoke. As Yugito awaits the winds to blow the smoke away, she has a moment of regret here. This was not how she wanted to do this. She didn't want to force them, even if it was for their own good. It wasn't right. But, it was a little late to be having second thoughts now.

But then she sees it, a glint of red armor through the smoke and then, she sees Han who had arrived at the last possible second to save Naruto from being hit. "Sorry for taking so long, Naruto."

"No problem" he says wearily. "I was just about to launch my counter attack anyways" he lied.

"**So, you are the other Jinchuriki detected, the Gobi if what I'm sensing is true" **says Yugito.

"And you are Nibi's host. Tell me why you attack one of your own. What reason would you have to do this?" asked Han.

"**I take no pleasure in this, but I have a mission to complete. I am to bring both you and Naruto back to Kumo so you may be protected from those who would hunt us" **says Yugito.

"I already told her no" Naruto tells Han.

"I'm afraid I must concur with him" says Han. "He had his own place to call home just as I have my own loyalties. To do what you ask would force both of us to betray oaths that we have taken."

"**Then I'm left with no other alternative. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but it seems I have to after all" **says Yugito before her body begins to glow brightly. **"Prepare to feel the power of my Biju Mode" **she says as she begins to transform into the phantom cat Biju.

"Stop this crap you daffy cat, fool ya fool" comes the voice of Bee as he comes sailing down, delivering a power pound to the top of Yugito's head, knocking her out of Mazuko Mode.

"Hey Bee, what the hell was that for?" she cries, tears in her eyes. "You know how much that hurts?"

Bee leans in close, his face a serious fright to see. "Don't be dumb, this missions done. Our big bro is mad, so just be glad he sent me to bring ya back, fool ya fool."

"Big brother is..._gulp _mad?" she asked timidly. To Naruto and Han, her sudden timid and kitten like behavior was almost comical when compared to her previous demeanor.

"Very" says Bee, now talking in one of his rare non rhyme speeches. "Mad like he is with me and you know what that will mean."

Yugito nearly faints from the thought of her punishment. "I knew I should have told Sokudo no." She then turns back to Naruto and Han and bows, saying "Sorry for all the trouble I caused you. Please, don't think badly of us."

Bee then grabs her and slings her over his shoulder, then looks at the guys and says "Again someday we'll meet and then I'd like a chance to compete." And with that, he turns and takes Yugito back to Kumo to face her punishment.

"Wow, that was an unexpected conclusion" says Han before walking away. "Come Naruto, with have a ritual to conclude."

Two hours later, they are walking through a small section of trees that dotted the mountain side. After a moment of looking around, Han comes to a sudden stop. "We're here" he says.

"How can you be sure?" asked Naruto.

"The energy that flows through the songlines is strong here" says Han before stepping forward, carefully feeling the energy within the ground. "Curious; it would seem nature herself has marked the connection point for us."

"Connection point?" asked Naruto.

"Along the songlines there are very special points known as connection points where the energy that flows through the songlines is especially strong and potent. This will make the ritual easier" explained Han before pointing to the mound of earth, surrounded by stone. "Sit there and I will prepare the drink."

Naruto does as he is asked as Han begins making the special brew. After nearly an hour, which felt like an eternity to Naruto, Han finally finishes and hands the cup filled with a weird green/brown colored liquid inside. "Drink it all in one gulp and your journey will finally reach its point of purpose."

Naruto nods and goes to drink it, but Han quickly stops him and adds "A caution though. It will taste incredibly bitter to you, but swallow it all none the less or I'll have to gather more ingredients and we'll end up being stuck here for a long while. Also, it will take a few seconds before the drinks actually takes effect on you. And when it does, do not fight it but go with it. The rest will be for you to know."

He then pulls his hand away and Naruto takes several deep breaths before quickly taking it all in with a single gulp like he was told to do. His face sours as it was as bitter as he had been warned it be, but he manages to keep it from coming back up. He then sits there and wonders just how long this would take? Luckily for him, not long...

Its starts with his vision beginning to blur; then both Han and everything around him begin to shift and alter their shapes and colors, becoming twisted and freakish. He hears odd noises and wonders if this was what it was like to have an acid trip (note: basically what's happening to Naruto now).

He begins to wave back and forth before finding himself falling backwards. But when he hits the ground, the whole world shatters around him and he finds himself falling down, down, down into a spiraling abyss of the insanity that only the mind can create.

As he looks around, he feels the world going into slow motion and blurring; seeing thousands of himself also falling; each looking odd and different from him. Then, he suddenly realizes his body was breaking apart; his various body parts flying off in every direction and bursting like a bubble.

And then, he hits water and finds himself down deep with no sign of top or bottom. He then sees himself from the outside, shocked to find he was now a frog swimming through this endless sea. _What do I do now_ he wonders, his thoughts echoing on and on in the water.

An image of Utakata and Hotaru appears in the water. _Heh, Hotaru. No matter how many times she was told no, she never gave up trying to get Utakata to teach her about jutsu. And her perseverance eventually paid off...wait, I get it. I shouldn't give no matter how many times I get hit with a no either._

Suddenly, the frog shifts directions, swimming fast straight up and then bursting from the waters and lands on solid earth. But when it lands, it has the form of a fox, racing through a forest. As it does so, a new image; one of Karin, appears in Naruto's mind.

_Karin, she was feeling so lost, so ready to just give up because she believed herself alone in this world. But she wasn't because she found me, family. Someone who could be there for her and make her know...know that both she and I are not alone. Yeah, I'm not alone...because I have them in my life._

The fox begins running faster, suddenly coming to a cliff overlooking an endless sky and it jumps the cliff, taking the form of a might eagle soaring in the wonder of the high. A new image appears, one of Matsuri and Gaara.

_Matsuri, she was so nervous she'd be rejected if she told Gaara how she felt. But not speaking up was far more painful than rejection. And so, she found her courage because keeping your feelings locked away can never achieve anything good, for you and those you care for._

And then, the eagle flies into the sun and it happens; Naruto experiences his epiphany, his moment of clarity. He then finds himself racing along a path made up of large rocks with tops like a spike, seeing a figure fast approaching, balancing atop a piece of wood on one of the spiked tops. And then, as he draws closer, new images appear in his mind.

He sees a mountain with a weird colored sky and statues of toads upon the ground.

He sees a forest burning with flames.

He sees a large white snake, hissing at him.

He sees the Makai Realm; a sea of fire and feeling something beyond it.

He sees Mada facing the masked man; a feeling of sadness coming over him for some odd reason.

He sees four Akatsuki and Asuma-sensei falling as Shikamaru cries out.

He sees Tenten, beaten and near death laying on a river bank.

He sees himself, minus his whisker marks and with black hair...marrying Tenten? SAY WHAT?

He sees Chin-Xi engulfed in fierce battle and he sees Han leading a might army.

He sees himself and Tenten facing Danzo in what appeared to be an advanced city underground.

And then, he sees a girls back and she looks back at him. It's Hinata's and she smiles at him and says "Sorry I'm late, Naruto."

And finally, he can see the figure balancing on the piece of wood was him, but his face was different. Orange markings around his eyes, his iris's were yellow and his pupils were more frog like and the eye ball cobalt blue in color. "What are you waiting for, Naruto. It's time to begin..." says Sage Naruto.

Naruto's eyes open, looking to the sky then seeing Han's face come into view. "Well?" he asked.

Naruto sits up and says "I know what I have to do now."

Han nods then says "Then I guess this is where we part ways for now, though I have no doubt we'll meet again soon."

Naruto gets up and nods. "Thank you for your help, Han. Can I offer you a chance to return with me to Sanctuary to undergo Jinchuriki training?"

Han shakes his head and says "Not necessary. Tell Mada that I need not the training, but I will aid her when the time comes. Till then, would you keep an eye on Tenten for me?"

"I wish I could, but we have a problem there" says Naruto.

"What do you mean?" asked Han. Naruto then explains to him what has happened with the Order.

**(Ame)**

"Hinata? You need something?" asked Sakuya as she and Konan look at said girl.

Hinata nods and says "I've made my decision. I'm ready to join the Akatsuki and do what I have to do."

**(Sanctuary)**

"Naruto, you're back" says Hanabi happily as Mada, Fuu, and Moegi appear from below, having sensed his arrival.

"I'm back...and I'm ready to continue" says Naruto confidently.

**Next time: the Sage Element arc begins...**


	11. 11 Sage Element 1

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.11: Sage Element 1 – Second Training**

"How did you do it, grandma? How did you awaken the Byakugan within Hanabi?" asked Fuu.

"I'm sorry dear, but that isn't for you to know" says Mada in response.

"Seriously?" asked Fuu, getting a nod. "A jeez, you're really breaking my balls here, granny."

"You have balls, really? Can I see them?" asked Moegi innocently enough.

"NO, it was a figure of speech, dummy" shouts Fuu.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Moegi before giggling.

"Now you see why Naruto has asked you to stop corrupting her mind, Fuu?" asked Mada before averting her gaze to the stairs heading to the surface.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but...grandma, is something wrong?" asked Fuu.

Mada smiles before walking forward, saying "It would seem our errant boy has finally returned to us."

"Brother?" asked Moegi, getting an affirming nod, then bolting for the surface of Sanctuary. Fuu falls into step right behind her as Mada takes her time to join them.

Up above, Hanabi's eyes light up at seeing Naruto, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing him again. So she had tried not to show it, she had been worried about him. And now, she gets up from her seat and goes to stand before him.

"I'm back, Hanabi" says Naruto.

Her response is to smile and says "Welcome home, Naruto" while her eyes closed and her cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink. "So, have you found your purpose?"

Naruto nods and says "Yeah, I think I have. Sure took me long enough though." His eyes then lock with Hanabi's and he finally notices the difference. "Hanabi, you have the..."

"BIG BROTHER" cries Moegi, slamming into Naruto which sends him crashing onto the ground while she wraps around him, hugging him with the strength of of bear. "Big brother, big brother, big brother" she cries over and over again as tears of joy fall.

"...moegi, please...you...choking me..." he manages to get out as his face starts to turn purple and blue.

"Moegi, stop. You're killing him" cries Hanabi, though Moegi doesn't hear her over her own voice.

CONK comes the sound of Mada's staff smacking Moegi atop her head, making her let go. "Hey, why did you do that for, ancient granny?" shouts Moegi, releasing Naruto while Hanabi starts to panic as she sees a wisp of his soul beginning to leak out, which she tries to push back in (you know the image seen in some anime and manga like Full Metal Alchemist).

"I was stopping you from killing him, of course" says Mada.

"Huh?" asked Moegi, surprised.

"You do realize he was suffocating from your hug, right?" asked Fuu.

"Ah...no? Really, he was?" she asked, getting both Fuu and Mada to nod in unison. Her eyes then water as she turns around and says "I'm sorry brother" and then, on impulse, goes to bear hug him again for a different reason, but Hanabi grabs her this time and barely manages to keep her off him as he recovers.

Fuu looks at Mada and ask "Is it just me, or do we have a Yuzu Kurosaki syndrome case here?"

"Trust me, it isn't you" says Mada. "Moegi is overly obsessed with her adopted brother. We'll have to correct that...some how."

"Hey, blondie, you still alive?" asked Fuu, looking at Naruto.

"...ow..." was his weak and feeble reply.

"I'll take that as a yes" she says before giving him a thumbs up.

After seven minutes of recovering, Naruto was finally back on his feet, though being supported by Hanabi while Fuu was keeping a hold on Moegi, who was still a little brother needy. "So Naruto, has your walkabout been fruitful?" asked Mada.

He nods, saying "Yeah ancient granny. I'm ready to continue my training."

"Finally" says Fuu, getting a grin on her face. "I've been waiting for this for the last month. After all, I owe you some sweet payback for that crap Yami pulled."

"Bring it on" says Naruto, suddenly feeling cocky and making Fuu grin expectantly, glad to see he was back in the game after all. "But before that, I have a little up date for you guys."

"Yeah, and what's that?" asked Fuu.

"I think I've convinced Gaara and Utakata, Jinchuriki to the Ichibi and Rokubi respectively, to come to us and undergo the training. They both seem interested in learning control and I've told them how to find us. They just need a little time to get their superiors to consent with coming here" says Naruto.

"You rock, big brother" says Moegi.

"Furthermore, I've done what you two couldn't. I actually met Gobi's Jinchuriki, Han, and asked him if he wanted to come here as well" says Naruto.

"No way. You mean YOU actually found Han?" asked Fuu in disbelief.

"Well actually, he found me and we talked. He told me that he didn't need training as he has already mastered Gobi's power. But he did say that when the time comes, he will stand by us and lend us his full power and support in the battles we'll have to fight" says Naruto.

"Good work, Naruto. Knowing that is a relief for me. That just leaves Rokubi, Nibi and Hachibi's host to convince" says Mada.

"Yeah, that might be an issue. I can't really see Yugito wanting to work with us unless we agreed to go join Kumo. Bee...I really don't know what goes on in that guys mind to be honest. And as for Roushi, the Rokubi's host? I did meet him and asked him to join us as well, but he turned me down, saying he has no interest in learning control. He sees himself as a jailer only with no need to use the power."

"Perhaps, but you have still made things easier for us in the grand scheme of things. As for the three of them? I have a feeling time will bring them to us though I fear it may not be for the best of reasons" admits Mada.

"Well, who cares for now" says Fuu, letting Moegi go as she had finally calmed down only to zip over to Naruto, throwing him into a head lock. "Time to get back to the torture...I mean, training."

Mada raises her hand and says "Before that, Fuu, I want you, Naruto, to enter Mazuko Mode for me."

"What's up, grandma?" asked Fuu. Naruto, Hanabi, and Moegi are curious as well.

"I just want to check something is all. Just indulge an old woman's request."

"Sure thing" says Naruto as Fuu lets him go and both she and Hanabi give him some space. He then begins to tap into Kyubi's chakra, raising his right arm up as an orange light surrounds his body and a ball of light forms in his right hand. "Invoke" he says, bringing his arm around and placing the ball of light against his face.

"Kyu..." he starts to say, but stops as the ball burst like a bubble and the orange glow fades out. "OK?" he says confused as his eyes look at his empty hand.

"Very funny, Naruto. Can we please be serious here?" says Fuu.

"Right..." says Naruto before smacking his cheeks with both hands, then takes up his stance again, once more calling on the Biju's chakra. "Invoke" he says as his right hand takes hold of the ball of light, which immediately shatters and the glow once again fades out. ""Oh boy, this could be a problem."

"Big brother..." says Moegi, worried.

_'Naruto?'_ thinks Hanabi, equally worried.

Mada steps forward as Fuu ask "Grandma, what's going on here?"

"Naruto, show me the seal if you would please" asked Mada, getting a nod from Naruto before lifting his shirt and showing the seal on his stomach. Mada reaches out and runs her fingers over it. "Hm, the seal seems to be fine. And I can't sense any change within Kyubi's chakra either."

After a moment of silence, Mada says "If I had to guess, I'd say you are resisting using the power."

"But how can I be? I mean, I came back because I realized what it is I must do. I'm ready to continue my Jinchuriki training, I'm sure of it" says Naruto.

"Perhaps on the surface, yes. But I think that on some subconscious level, you may still fear calling upon that power. That in doing so, you'll lose control again and allow Yami to take control once more. And so long as this remains so, you won't be able to call forth the power" says Mada.

Naruto huffs in annoyance and says "Well ain't that just peaches."

"Grandma, surely you must have an idea to counter this issue"asked Fuu.

Mada shakes her head and says "Only time can rid him of this problem." But to everyone's surprise, she smiles as she says "But no matter. I wasn't planning on having you continue your Jinchuriki training now anyways."

"You weren't?" asked Naruto.

"Do you plan on having us train together now?" asked Hanabi, getting a confused look from Naruto.

Mada shakes her head and says "No, that will happen after you both have completed your individual training regiments." She then looks at Naruto and says "Your Jinchuriki training was one of three that I had planned for you."

"The what are the other two? And about Hanabi and me training together...and her having the Byakugan for that matter?" asked Naruto.

"Given the current issue, we'll put further Jinchuriki on hold till you can Invoke again. You second training is...well, I'll let that stay a secret for now though you will know soon enough. The third was originally meant for you and Hinata to help you both learn how to work together in such a way that you could communicate through just instinct alone during battles with no need for words or even eye contact. But given Hinata's loss, it falls to Hanabi to carry on her legacy and role in this mission."

"Is that why she has the Byakugan now?" asked Naruto, getting a nod. "But how did she...?"

"There will be plenty of time for those answers later, Naruto. For now, I have to leave so as to get the second phase of your training set up. I shall return by morning" says Mada.

"So what should we do till then, grandma?" asked Fuu.

"Fuu, go back to training Moegi for now. Seeing as she getting close to being ready to undergo the trial herself, its best you both can do now is focus on that" says Mada before looking at Naruto and Hanabi. "Naruto, you rest for now as you won't have much time for that once your second training begins. Hanabi, I'll leave it up to you on what you do till my return."

"Understood" they all say in unison.

"Well then, I'm off" says Mada before heading to the portal to see to her errand.

**(Ame)**

"Where are you taking me?" asked Hinata as Konan led her and Sakuya through Ame's underworld of passages.

"We're going to meet you new mentor" was Konan's reply.

"But I already have a mentor in Tenten" says Hinata, not comfortable with going behind Tenten's back.

"Tenten is your mentor...where your Slayer duties are concerned" says Sakuya. "But now that you have joined the Akatsuki like me, you're gonna need a mentor who can prepare you for the greater challenge we all know is to come. And as much as I hate to say it, Tenten just won't cut it here."

"Are you sure?" asked Hinata.

"I wouldn't have agreed to this if I wasn't, Hinata" says Sakuya. "But don't worry, I'll explain this to Tenten myself and let her know we didn't give you much choice so she can be mad at me exclusively."

"We're here" says Konan stopping before a door containing a red and white colored fan like symbol.

"Is Nagato gonna train me?" asked Hinata.

"Were he in better health, he would. But given the sacrifices he has had to make for the salvation of the world, that is no longer possible. But fear not, for your mentor may be an even better choice than Nagato himself" says Konan as they enter the room.

Inside was nothing but darkness with small beams of light streaking down, creating a spotted effect on the floor. And at the center of the room was a dark haired man sitting crossed legged on a mat on the floor, meditating. "Itachi, I have brought your student here to you for training."

Itachi opens his eyes, then stands and approaches Hinata. Normally, Hinata might have backed away just from the intimidating sight Itachi was giving off, to say nothing of the fact she easily recalled that encounter with him back when...when Naruto had still been Naruto, not Kyubi in disquise. But instead of backing away, she steps forward in confidence and without fear to face him directly.

"I will not go easy on you" says Itachi.

"I won't ask you to" says Hinata.

"The training will be brutal and could leave you scared and even maimed. You could even die from the training I'll be giving you to make you strong" says Itachi.

"I'm prepared to pay any price to gain that which I will need" says Hinata.

"Are you afraid?"

"Only of failure."

"I see..." says Itachi, allowing himself a slight smile. "Very well then. Your training will begin now."

Itachi steps back as Hinata takes up a battle stance. Konan and Sakuya step to the side to give them room to train, to fight. This was going to be interesting to say the least.

**(Sanctuary)**

_'I wonder what time it is?' _thinks Naruto, sitting on his bed and leaning back against the wall, twirling the OAcle around in his hand. He knew he should be sleeping but he wasn't feeling tired, just bored. And his inability to enter Mazuko Mode was lingering in his mind. Had his walkabout been in vain after all?

"Naruto, are you awake" comes the voice of Hanabi from outside.

"Yeah, I'm still awake. Come in, Hanabi" he shouts out followed by Hanabi coming in a moment later. Naruto then pats the spot on his bed beside him and Hanabi comes over and sits down next to him.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"To much on my mind to be honest. You?" he asked.

"Same for me too" she admits.

"So, you have the Byakugan now. How'd that happen or have I been blind to you having eyes like Hinata's?" asked Naruto.

"It was after you left. Master told me I was a back up for my sister. I also had the Byakugan gene within me, like she did. Her's had simply been active since birth while mine was dormant. She took me into a Casteopa that Fuu doesn't know about and used a machine to awaken it within me so I could continue my sister's mission...to stand by your side and save the world."

"So that's what happened" says Naruto. "Is it OK for you to let me know there's a secret Casteopa here in Sanctuary?"

"I'm sure it will be fine" says Hanabi. "Though maybe we should keep it a secret just between us" she adds, getting a nod from Naruto. After a pause, she ask "Did I do the right thing?"

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"I'm worried...that I'm betraying my sister's memory, that I'm taking her place; stealing something precious from her. I mean, I know she's...not with us anymore. But...Naruto, what if I can't do this? What if I fail to live up to her legacy. I...I..." says Hanabi, finding herself tearing up.

Naruto's response is to reach over with his closest hand and wrap it around her shoulder, giving her a half hug and says ""You can do this, Hanabi. In fact, only you can do this for her."

"Naruto..." says Hanabi, looking at him with wide eyed shock.

"Hanabi, Hinata loved you very much and only had positive things to say about you when she spoke of you. You're strong like Hinata and you won't fail her or her memory. Believe in yourself just as I do and she does as well. I know that if Hinata had to chose anyone to inherit her will, it would be you. So have faith, Hanabi. She'll always be with you so you have no choice but to succeed for her."

Hanabi blushes a little then says "Naruto, thank you." She then lifts herself up and kisses his cheek. As she pulls away, her eyes fall onto the OAcle in his hands. "Hey Naruto, what's that?"

"Uh...oh, this? This is an OAcle; or optical analyzer monocle. I found this in some lost Casteopa I found in the Fumala desert. There was some sort of Yoma research facility inside there as well as an actual Yoma. Though it escaped back into the Makai Realm, I was able to destroy the facility...well, Gaara did it for me" says Naruto.

"A hidden Casteopa? You need to tell master when she gets back" says Hanabi.

"That's my plan."

Naruto then hands the OAcle to Hanabi who examines it, then puts it on. "Does it work?"

"It did, till I destroyed the facility then it broke down" says Naruto. "To bad though. This little thing was actually pretty useful while I was trapped inside the Casteopa."

After that, there was a moment of silence before Hanabi ask "Naruto, how would you like to listen to some music?"

"Sure, I don't mind. But I don't have a record player in here" says Naruto.

"No need for one" says Hanabi, pulling her Harmonia out. "Master gave me this while inside the secret Casteopa; Avalon. She put over a thousand songs inside it."

"No way" says Naruto, taking the Harmonia from her and looking at it. "This little thing has over a thousand songs on it?"

"Yeah, but I've only listen to eighty four thus far. And to be honest, I don't really know what's being said in the songs as they are all in the old language. And despite my having started to learn the ancient tongue, all I can really do is read the words. I'm still iffy on the actual sounds. But despite that, I do like the melody's being played, even if I can't understand the words being said yet. Wanna listen to some?"

"Sure, but how?" asked Naruto.

Hanabi reaches into her pocket and pulls out two ear pieces and hands one to Naruto. "Put it in your ear like this" she says, showing him how she does to, then watching him do the same. "OK, here comes the tunes" she says as she turns the Harmonia on, then selects her favorites to start playing.

Several hours later, Fuu places the sleeping Moegi in her bed and covers her before exiting quietly. Curious as to how Naruto is doing, she heads to his room and looks inside, smiling at what she sees. Naruto and Hanabi were in there, asleep. Hanabi's head resting on Naruto's shoulder and Naruto's against hers. She closes the door gently and heads back to her room.

_'You know, they sure do make a cute couple...or will in a few years' _she thinks to herself.

**(Kiri)**

A girl with cherry red hair happily hopped along the halls, making her way to one of the medical research rooms located here within the hidden village called Kiri. The reason for her jubilant walk was simply due to the fact the guy she had her eyes on had finally returned from one of his extended research trips outside the village and she was now on her way to report to him.

Coming to a stop outside his personal work room, she takes a deep breath before pulling out a small compact and checking herself with the mini mirror before knocking on the door. "Is it important?"

"It's me, Kabuto. Kana, and I have a message for you from lady Mizukage."

There was a pause, likely due to Kabuto sighing, she assumed, as he likely wasn't wanting any task handed to him by the Mizukage. "Come in" he finally says.

Kana steps in and, as always, is impressed with how neat and orderly Kabuto's room was compared to the others. "Here's her request for you" says Kana, walking up to him and placing the papers on the desk next to him.

Kabuto allows himself a second to glance at the stack before returning to his work which involved looking into a microscope. "Big list this time" he says, commenting on the stacks size.

"Well, you have been gone a little longer than usual and there has recently been some discoveries made that lady Mizukage wants you to look into. It just goes to show how much she trust you and you skills" says Kana.

"Either that or she just likes to keep me working here" suggest Kabuto. "I'll look into these later."

_'Understandable, when you think about it. After all, no medical ninja spends as much time as you do on research outside the village' _mentally thinks Kana. "So, what are you working on anyways? You seem far more focused on it that usual."

"That's because what I have here is a little bit on the unusual side. Beyond that, I can't say no more" says Kabuto. "Actually Kana, I'm glad you showed up when you did."

"Really?" she says, her heart skipping a beat to hear that.

Kabuto uses a free hand and picks up a piece of paper and hands it to her. "Could you go get me the materials listed here? It'll help me with my testing on this sample."

"Of course, right away Kabuto" she says before taking the paper and running out of the room.

Kabuto looks back at the closed door for a second and shakes his head. He was well aware that Kana had a serious crush on him. But sadly for her, he wasn't interested in her or any girl at this time as he had bigger things to worry about. Still, her crush did have some advantages that proved helpful to him.

Turning back to his microscope, he makes a sight adjustment on the blood sample provided by Orochimaru. Next to it was a piece of glass containing blood taken from his Pride and he was trying to determine if there was any differences between the two due to the Death Curse. And the thing was is that there were indeed differences. But the problem was that there were to many differences. Something was not adding up here. And the more he studied this mystery, the more questions it brought up.

Having an idea, he reaches for a phial to his right, but his lack of focus on the object causes his fingers to accidentally knock the phial onto the floor. Cursing under his breath, Kabuto gets up and quickly works to clean up the mess.

"Ah.." says Kabuto, cutting himself on a piece of glass. He looks at the cut and sees blood starting to come out. Looking at the phial, he realizes it contained something toxic to humans and quickly grabs a clean glass and allows a drop of blood to fall onto it before sliding it under the microscope.

"No sign of infection" he says with relief, though it might be worth taking an anti toxin just in case. But just as he's about to pull the glass clear, something odd catches his eyes. "Wait, what's this?" he says as he increases the focus.

**(Sanctuary)**

Mada couldn't help but smile, seeing Naruto and Hanabi sleeping side by side; even though they were both sitting up and leaning against one another. And she hated to wake them, but time was of the essence in these matters. "A-hem" she says loudly, clearing her throat.

Naruto is the first to awaken, smacking his lips and rubbing his eyes before saying "Ancient granny?"

"Sorry to wake you, Naruto. But its time" she says before going to wait outside in the hall.

Naruto nods, then looks to see Hanabi resting against him; he gently shakes her, saying "Hanabi, time to wake up."

"Hm?" she says, coming around.

"Grannies back and waiting for us" says Naruto, bringing her back to full consciousness.

"And I was having such a nice dream too" joked Hanabi.

Once they were outside with Mada, the three of them begin walking towards the stairs. "So, gonna tell me about this second training?" asked Naruto.

"Soon, soon" she says.

Naruto sighs, hating secrets, but then recalls something he wanted to talk with her about. "Hey granny, have you seen one of these before?" He then presents the OAcle to her.

Mada takes it quickly and ask "Where did you get this, Naruto?"

Naruto quickly explained the incident in the Fumala desert. "I decided to keep it, even though it doesn't work anymore."

Mada looks it over and says "It's primary battery is defective, so it switched to drawing on air based backup power. When Gaara destroyed the complex, it took the power away."

"Can you fix it?" asked Naruto.

"Perhaps...but right now, I'm more concerned about this revelation that other Casteopa besides the ones stored here may exist. If there are even more out there, we'll need to find them" she says.

"One thing at a time. First, lets stop the second Age of Darkness, then we can do that. Um...do we even have a method of tracking and locating errant Casteopa?" asked Naruto as they start walking up the stairs.

"Not exactly, but I'm sure I can whip something up" says Mada as they emerge on top.

Naruto then takes a look around and sees no sign of anyone other than themselves. "There's no one here" says Hanabi.

"Are you sure?" asked Mada, turning to look behind them, making them do the same.

"Well, Naruto. It seems you got yourself a cute little girlfriend there. You lucky guy."

Naruto scowls at who he sees. "Pervy sage, what the heck is a sicko like him doing here? Aren't you afraid he'll perv up the place."

"Hey, I resent that remark" shouts Jiraiya.

Naruto scowls at him for a few seconds, then smiles and says "It's good to see you again, nonetheless you pervert. I hear you're gonna be a daddy soon. Congratulations. Is Shizune doing well?"

"It's good to see you again too, and not in a darkness possessed state. And thanks for that. Shizune's doing good. Haven't ever seen her as happy as she is now" says Jiraiya.

"What about everyone else?" asked Naruto.

"Now, now, Naruto. You'll have plenty of time to gab with Jiraiya once you get to where you two are going" says Mada.

"Huh? So I'm going somewhere with pervy sage then?" asked Naruto.

"I'll let him explain" says Mada as Jiraiya comes over to join them.

He first looks at Hanabi and ask "Keeping him out of trouble?"

"As much as I can" she says, getting a sour look from Naruto to which she raspberry's him in responce.

He then looks at Naruto and says "Mada wants you to join me and go the Mt. Myoboku; the home of the Toad tribe who which with both have the power to summon for aid."

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"Why to begin your Sage training, of course. Naruto, you have the gift. The power to sense nature energy. Remember when we were heading out to pick up Kiba on our mission to find Tsunade? You didn't trip and fall, knocking yourself out. I knocked you out and summoned my counter part amongst the toads who confirmed your gift as a Sage" says Jiraiya.

"You knocked me out? I should have known that I didn't trip" says Naruto.

"Naruto, this is the second part of your training. The gain access to Sage chakra. When the time comes, you are going to need it" says Mada.

"OK, I understand" he says. "Alright, pervy sage. Let's get going to this Mt. Myoboku place."

"Good luck, Naruto" says Hanabi.

"To you too with your training" says Naruto. "So, how long will it take us to get there?"

Jiraiya makes a hand sign, then places a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Just a second or two" he says before the both of them vanish from sight.

"Come, Hanabi. We have work to do as well" says Mada as she starts towards the steps again.

For a second, Naruto finds himself spinning wildly as he falls through a tunnel before hitting against solid earth. "Oh yeah, brace yourself. Landings due to reverse summoning can be rough" says Jiraiya.

"Dammit, tell me sooner next time" says Naruto before looking around, seeing large, exotic plants and giant mushrooms. He looks into the sky and sees it glow with a strange purple/gold glow. He can't see no sun but there are two moons. Just where the heck were they anyways?

"So, we finally get to interact at last, eh Naruto-boy?" comes a voice from the side.

Naruto turns to see a small wrinkled frog looking at him with a smile on his face. "I welcome you, both to Mt. Myoboku and to the Celestia Realm."

**to be continued...**


	12. 12 Sage Element 2

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.12: Sage Element 2 – Become the Wind**

"I welcome you, both to Mt. Myoboku and to the Celestia Realm."

"Wait, the Celestia Realm?" says Naruto, wondering just what he had gotten himself into now. He was already familiar with Myoboku due to his time spent with Jiraiya and Gamakichi during the search for Tsunade, but this? "Your gonna have to four one one this for me, geezer frog."

"Naruto, show some respect here. He's..." says Jiraiya.

"He's your counterpart, right? You both are the sage's of this place; he the actual toad sage and you the human honorary. I've already figured that one out. But seeing as I call you pervy sage despite that fact, I don't see calling him geezer frog as being any different" admits Naruto.

Jiraiya shakes his head and says "Oh boy, and here I thought you might have matured a little?" He then looks at Fukasaku and says "Sorry about this, boss. He still needs some work and..."

"Ha ha ha" laughs Fukasaku, making Jiraiya sweat drop. "Pervy Sage, huh? I love that; its brilliant and oh so you, Jiraiya-boy." He then continues laughing.

"Don't encourage him either"shouts Jiraiya.

After a moment, Fukasaku calms down and says "Well, that was refreshing. Now then, Naruto. I'm sure you have a lot of questions. So, lets get things started with asking the most obvious one."

"Alright" says Naruto before looking all around himself again. "Just what is the Celestia Realm?"

"It doesn't get more obvious than that one. In a nut shell, the Celestia Realm as the polar opposite of the Makai Realm; both worlds existing as parallels with your realm. If the Makai Realm is said to be darkness, the our Celestia Realm is the light. Here, in this place, lives all the summoning tribes like ourselves, the toads, the slugs, the snakes, the eagles, and so on. Each having their own individual areas that they inhabit and call home" says Fukasaku.

"Do you interact with the other tribes?" asked Naruto.

"On rare occasions, we can communicate with one another. But actual visitations happen very rarely. This is do to the regions each tribe resides in are separate to each other, divided by a great void of light. If you travel in any one direction long enough, you'd reach the end of our particular area and would see what we mean" says Fukasaku.

"OK, so what do you mean by a void of light? Are you meaning that all regions are floating in the sky with a land below us or is it more like barriers that exist that keep you all from direct mingling?" asked Naruto.

"I suppose both would be the truth and yet not. Truth be told, we really don't know ourselves. We just know that there is this edge to our regions and all we can see beyond is never ending light and the outlines of the other regions in the distance."

Naruto nods, then looks up at the sky. "So, what's with the two moons?"

"Ah, yes. I had a feeling you'd ask that one" says Fukasaku, giving him a sagely nod. "As you might have noticed, one of the moons is smaller than the other. The larger of the two is the Celestia Realm's actual moon; Silhouette."

"Silhouette?" says Naruto, recalling what he had heard before about the Silhouette of the moon. Was it possible that this moon was the one he had heard about when he had received his mother's star shaped locket.

"According to legend..." continued Fukasaku. "...Silhouette is a special place, a land that is said to actually exist outside space/time. Upon it is a way to break the laws of the world...or so they say anyways. Sadly, there is no way to confirm this as the key needed to unlock the Silhouette has long since been lost to the world."

_'A key? Is it possible that...?' _wonders Naruto.

"Now, the second, smaller moon was created by the Sage of the Six Paths, using his amazing powers. The purpose of this moon was to forever imprison the body of the Jubi so it could never be used to revive the beast or worse things" says Fukasaku.

"Then why is it here then?" asked Naruto.

"The creators of this Realm, the Kaiju, brought it here as a safety precaution to insure it would remained contained forever" says Fukasaku.

"The Kaiju? I've heard that word before. Just who or what is Kaiju?" asked Naruto.

"You know about the Biju, right? Of course, what am I saying? Of course you would seeing as you have the chakra of the Kyubi Biju sealed within you. The Kaiju and the Biju, much like the Celestia and Makai Realm's, are polar opposites to one another. The Kaiju are the Guardian Spirits who have on more than one occasion come to the aid of humans, protecting them. In fact, if you look in this direction" says Fukasaku before pointing to a distant cloud with a mountain peeking up from it.

"That is Hallow Mountain; where the Kaiju reside. And just so you don't have to ask; no, I have never been there. In fact, I haven't heard of any stepping upon that holy place since the Sage himself. Even odder is the fact that since those days, we have never heard of the Kaiju coming down to aid your Realm in the Makai Realm issues. Either they haven't felt in necessary or..."

"Or?" asked Naruto.

"The rumor that they have died due to injuries suffered during those closing days of the Age of Darkness are true after all. But that can't be a possibility seeing as Celestia still exist. If they were truly dead, then this realm would have died with them and we'd be living in your realm now" says Fukasaku. "Now, before you ask you next question. I have one for you."

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

"Before, you said you knew I was Jiraiya-boy's counterpart. Would you tell me how?" asked Fukasaku.

"Well, before we came here, pervy sage made mention of him having a counterpart. I assumed he was referring to another Toad Sage; one who was an actual toad as well. And given both his reaction to me calling you geezer frog and the fact you have the Sage symbol on your chair, I put two and two together and got it right it seems" admits Naruto.

"I told you he was smart on the uptake" says Jiraiya.

"And them some it would seem" agrees Fukasaku.

"Now for my last question at present. Just what exactly will I be doing here? What kind of training?" asked Naruto. "From what was said back in Sanctuary, I assume it has to do with me becoming as Sage like pervy sage here and gaining some sort of new power from it."

"That is part of the plan, yes..." says Fukasaku.

"But before we do that, we'll be doing another bit of important training" says Jiraiya.

"And that would be?" asked Naruto.

"We'll be determining your elemental nature and teaching you several jutsu based on your element" says Jiraiya. "The plan here is simple. You will have three training phases. The first is the element training. Then, we'll move on to Sage training. And the last will have us teaching you the fighting style of the Sage. With any luck, you'll regain your ability to enter Mazuko Mode during this time as well."

"What's this? Naruto can't call upon his Biju power now?" asked a surprised Fukasaku.

"Why don't we head into the village and show Naruto where he'll be staying and I'll explain along the way" says Jiraiya before the head off towards the living huts.

**(Kiri)**

_'Oh man, that took to long. Oh, Kabuto's gonna hate me' _thinks Kana as she runs down the halls. Though she had been able to get his requested items, it had taken her far longer than it should have.

As she approaches the door to his personal lab, she fears what he might say to her, how he'll look at her. But then, she hears something odd. Laughter? She could hear Kabuto laughing. Just what was going on in there? Now more curious than worried, she opens the door and steps inside.

"Kabuto, sorry I'm...are you OK?" she asked, now concerned.

Kabuto was sitting back in his chair, his head tilted to the ceiling while sitting in a slouching position. His laughter stops and he looks at her, a look like none she had ever seen from him; a look of a wild man who had found everything they had ever wanted.

"Kana..." he says, his tone filled with merry bemusement.

"Ah...I'm sorry for being so late, Kabuto. Please forgive me" she says, wondering if he had lost his mind while waiting for her.

"Don't worry about it. Actually, I don't think I need those materials after all" says Kabuto before getting back into a better seating position.

"So, did you find what you were looking for then?" she asked, hopefully and glad he wasn't mad at her.

"You could say that" he admits, looking at the blood sample sitting in his microscope. "Actually, I found something even better. Something I hadn't expected; something...that changes everything."

"Well then...I'm happy for you" she says, not really sure what it was she was congratulating him on. "So, what did you find that's so good anyways?"

"Sorry, can't say yet. But...could you do me another favor, Kana?" asked Kabuto.

"Of course, anything" she says, placing the items she had brought onto a side table, then walking to over to him.

Kabuto quickly jots a few items down and hands it to her. "I'm gonna need these."

She quickly looks the list over and says "No problem, except for this last one. I don't think I can get this without our Mizukage's consent. After all, its an illegal substance after all."

"Does she really need to know?" asked Kabuto.

"I...I guess not. But..." says Kana before Kabuto gets up and stands before her, reaching out and caressing her cheek.

"Please, Kana. I need these items. Get them for me, for your Kabuto." He then leans in close and says "I'll be very grateful" and then kisses her lightly on the lips.

When the break apart, Kana's knees shake for just a second before she says "OK" in an airy high pitch voice before turning and racing from the room. She had just had a minigasm from that moment, she was sure of it and as such, there was nothing she wouldn't do if he asked her now. Damn the risk.

Kabuto chuckles as he looks back at the microscope. "Things have changed, lord Orochimaru..."

**(Myoboku)**

"Kinda small, isn't it?" asked Naruto, looking at the hut that would be his new hope while he stayed here.

"Well, these huts were originally built for toad usage, so them being small to us is to be expected" says Jiraiya.

"In any event, you'll find all that you would need inside; clothes, the bathroom, and a small kitchen. Though we'll need to stock it with human food seeing as I doubt Naruto will be wanting to eat our style of grub" says Fukasaku.

"Not to worry about that. I've already asked for my assistant to take care of that detail" says Jiraiya.

"Your who?" asked Naruto.

"You'll find out in a few minutes. Needless to say, I have arranged for someone who is better at teaching elemental jutsu to be brought here to aid me" says Jiraiya.

"And while we're on that subject, lets head over to the training area so we can begin. After all, I doubt Naruto-boy here is wanting to delay his training any more" says Fukasaku.

"Sounds good to me" says Naruto before heading to the training area.

As they walk, Naruto continues to take in the sights as he knew he would be spending a lot of time here. "Hey, Naruto. Long time no see" comes a familiar voice from the side.

"Huh? Hey, is that you GamakiGIANT?" shouts Naruto, turning to see Gamakichi as he comes hoping up. The young son of Gamabunta had grown quite a lot since Naruto had last seen him during the battle against the Pasarasite who was threatening Takeihama back on Antana. Before, he had been small enough to fit on Naruto's head. And now, he was around the same size as Naruto.

"What's with the shocked look?" asked Gamakichi, coming to a stop before him.

"What do you mean what's with the shocked look? You've grown big, man. How am I not going to be shocked at seeing you now?" asked Naruto.

"Is it really that surprising?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yeah, Naruto. You do remember my pops, right?" asked Gamakichi.

"Yeah, I remember the chief. Kind of hard not to remember him" says Naruto.

"Well, as his eldest son, I will one day succeed him as chief toad of Mt. Myoboku and will wield his Kermit Blade. And it would be pretty hard to hold it of I don't become as big as he is" points out Gamakichi.

"I guess you got a point there" admits Naruto.

"But worry not. When push comes to shove..." says Gamakichi as he makes a hand sign, followed by him shrinking down to his previous size. "... I can be travel size if need be." He then hops atop Naruto's head and says "Better?"

"Sure thing, partner" says Naruto, feeling a little exasperated. But he smiles all the same.

After another few minutes, they arrive at a large clearing with plenty of trees surrounding them and another path leading to a small waterfall a little further up. To Naruto, the location looked similar to the circular clearing within Sanctuary, minus the crystal like ice trees and the snow.

"Here we are, Naruto. We'll be doing your element training here" says Jiraiya.

"Element training, huh? Well, don't blow it, Naruto" jokes Gamakichi.

"Ah, shut it" retorts Naruto.

"So, you also have a suspicion then, huh Gamakichi?" asked Jiraiya.

"I did spend a lot of time sitting on his head before as he used his chakra so I do have a good idea" admits Gamakichi.

"Just what are you two talking about?" asked Naruto.

"Soon, soon" says Jiraiya before pulling the massive scroll off his back and rolling it up. "Time to see if he's ready to come yet."

"Well, I'll be taking my leave then" says Fukasaku before the toad he was riding on turns and begins to hop off.

"You aren't staying with us, geezer toad?" asked Naruto.

Fukasaku looks back and says "I'll be involved with your sage training. But as far as elemental training goes, I'll leave that in more capable hands. And by that, I mean human to human as our elemental training methods are better suited for our own kind" says Fukasaku before continuing on.

"Our ways of using chakra differ greatly than how human's do it" further points out Gamakichi.

"Understood" says Naruto, turning back to Jiraiya.

"And here we go" says the pervy sage as he places his hand on the seal,performing a reverse summoning. And then, Naruto sees another familiar face appear from the smoke puff.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he says in surprised.

"Been a while, Naruto" says Kakashi as he steps off the scroll.

"But how can you be here? Did you make a pact with the toads too?" asked Naruto.

"Not exactly" says Kakashi, reaching up and revealing a small tag hanging around his neck.

"What he's wearing is a guest pass...of a sort, Naruto. You see, though it is normal for only those who have signed a contract to be able to enter the homeland of their pact partners, it is possible to enter into another tribes home so long as you are wearing a guest pass" says Jiraiya.

"And if I take it off, I am immediately returned to where it was I came from" says Kakashi before pulling a scroll out and handing it to Naruto. "Here, inside is all the supplies you should need while your here."

"Thanks, sensei" says Naruto, taking the scroll from him and sliding it into his jacket. "So, you'll be helping me with my element training along with pervy sage?"

"That's the plan" says Kakashi before pulling out a slip of paper and giving it to Naruto.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Special chakra paper. By channeling your chakra into it, the paper will react in one of several ways to show us what your chakra element is" says Kakashi.

"And how does it work?" asked Naruto.

"Fire will make the paper burn, earth with make it turn to dust, wind will slice it in half, lightning will make it crinkle, and water will leave it soggy. If in the event you have multiple chakra natures, then the paper will showcase multiple changes in its appearance" explains Jiraiya.

"Now Naruto, lets see what element you are" instructs Kakashi.

"Right..." says Naruto as he begins to channel his chakra into it. Immediately, the paper is split right down the middle. "So, I guess I'm a Wind style master then."

"I thought as much" admits Gamakichi.

"As did I" agrees Jiraiya.

"I concur" says Kakashi.

"Wait, you all suspected I was a wind type already? How did you figure that out?" asked Naruto.

"The color of your chakra when it manifest for the naked eye to see and even the color of your Rasengan" says Gamakichi.

"You see, Naruto. Your chakra is yellow in color and yellow is the general color for wind chakra, just as red is for fire, blue for water, green for earth, and purple for lightning. So it was a natural assumption that you were a wind style" says Jiraiya.

"And luckily for us that we guessed right as I brought everything we would need to train a wind style specialist. Though to be truthful, Asuma would be better suited for this as he is the best wind style user in Konoha if not our only pure wind style master. But seeing as he's away on a mission right now, I'll show you all I can that I learned over the years" says Kakashi.

"You'll be more than fine, Kakashi-sensei. So, how do we begin?" asked Naruto.

"You'll begin, with this..." says Jiraiya, walking over to a nearby tree and pulling a leaf off of it, then walking back over to Naruto and handing him then leaf.

"What do I do with this?" asked Naruto.

"Try to use your chakra to cut the leaf in half like this" says Kakashi as he makes a hand sign and makes a leaf he's holding split right down the middle. "This is the first step, so get cracking."

"Right" says Naruto, mimicking his hand sign, then concentrating his chakra into the leaf.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll do what I can to help you along" says Gamakichi.

"And if push comes to shove, we can use your shadow clones to speed up the process" adds Jiraiya.

"Sounds good" says Naruto as a small cut begins to form on the leaf.

As he continues, Jiraiya leans down and picks up the discarded chakra paper so as to avoid littering the place and then sees it. At one tip of the paper was a little bit of soggy. _'It may be just a fluke or some remnant water chakra he was exposed to. But does this mean Naruto could have some Water style chakra within him as well? I'll need to look into this later...'_

**(two days later)**

"Alright; success" shouts Naruto as the leaf easily slices in half within a moment of his chakra being sent into it. During the last two days, he had learned not only how to do it with ease, but he could now do it without a hand sign due to him being a natural wind style user.

"Good work, Naruto. However, keep in mind that some advance wind style jutsu will still need you to make a hand sign to activate just like my Lightning Blade jutsu does" says Kakashi.

"Not a problem" says Naruto. "So, what now?"

"We'll head over to that waterfall, Naruto. The next step is to see if you can use your wind style well enough to slice water in half. When you can do this, you'll be ready to start learning wind jutsu" says Jiraiya.

"Slice water in half, huh? That doesn't sound to hard" says Naruto.

"Don't be so sure about that. Slicing a solid is one thing. Slicing a liquid is not as easy as it looks" says Gamakichi.

"You'll see what we mean when we get over there" adds Kakashi.

**(four days later)**

They hadn't been lying when they said it would be harder. Naruto had quickly learned to slicing water meant stopping it from its motion which was harder to do. But despite that, he had soon succeeded breaking the flow and had perfectly sliced water in half. "OK, so what's next?" asked Naruto as he joined them at the base of the falls.

"Now, Naruto. We begin teaching you wind style jutsu" says Jiraiya.

"We'll be teaching you two novice level jutsu, two adept level jutsu, and one advanced level jutsu. Once these five are mastered, then you'll be ready for the Sage training" says Kakashi.

Naruto smacks a fist into a open hand and says "I'm ready to become the wind..."

**to be continued...**

**NO Info: **First, I have a question for you all. Does anyone think Kishi dropped the ball by NOT having Naruto learn any wind style jutsu during the course of this series? I mean, what was the point in him learning about his chakra element and going through the training if all he did with that was learn how to make a new Rasengan variant. I don't know about you guys, but it feels like such a waste if he never did anything more with it other than power up his signature attack to me. That is why I'm actually having Naruto learn a few wind style jutsu in this story, so it becomes more than just a plot device that technically never went anywhere meaningful beyond the Rasengan.

And on another note, this chapter has the first of what will likely be known as the deleted scene's of Trance Forme. This means that there was content in this chapter that I intentionally removed from the initial release on FF do to the scene in question containing things I'm not yet ready to reveal in the story yet. The scene in question is the final page of this chapter, set in Konoha. After I have finished Trance Forme (maybe even the third arc), I will go back and upload the completed chapter with the missing scene. And this likely won't be the only chapter that I may be forced to remove a scene from at first due to to early reveals in it either. But I can say this much about the scene removed from this chapter at this time.

Forthcoming chapters, set in the village, will have certain things said that may give you an idea as to what was deleted from this one, if you both remember and read between the lines (paying attention). Cruel, I know. But this is how it has to be for now...


	13. 13 Sage Element 3

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.13: Sage Element 3 – One With Nature**

Deep beneath the rain soaked streets of Ame, a heavy rain of sweat falls from Hinata's brow as she breaths heavily; hunch forward as she rest her hands against her knees as a brace as she works to fill her lungs with much needed oxygen.

Itachi studied her for a moment before turning around and saying "That will be enough training for today. Return to your room and rest; we'll continue this tomorrow."

"No..." gasped out Hinata, turning to look at him with weary yet focused eyes. "I can keep going a little more. Please, let us continue, sensei..."

Itachi looks back at her, studying her again, then allowing himself a faint smile; one that she cannot see herself. How this took him back, to younger days and better times. He recalled Sasuke in this state saying those words to him whenever they trained together. Sadly, those days were forever lost now.

"Hinata, don't over do it" he says as she stands straight. "Remember this; no one will ever gain from wearing themselves out to the point they pass out from exhaustion. While important to train one self to your limits and then push beyond, going to far to soon all at once will only lead you to gaining nothing. Rest and allow your body to soak in all that it has learned, then return fully prepared to learn even more."

"I...I understand, sensei" says Hinata, realizing he was right.

Hinata then walks over to a towel laying on the ground, picking it up and wiping the sweat off her brow before heading to the exit. "Hinata, a question if I may."

She looks back at Itachi and ask "Yes, sensei?"

"Do you really believe Naruto Uzumaki is a lost cause? That he truly has been lost to the restored will of the Kyubi and can only be saved by being sacrificed?"

Hinata looks away, wondering why he was asking her this. "I...don't want to believe it. But Sakuya and Konan and Nagato; they all say the same thing and Sakuya at least has first hand experience in this matter as she had one she loved who turned on her. And then, there's my memories of..."

"Are you so sure you remember everything accurately?" asked Itachi suddenly.

Hinata looks at him, shock and confusion present on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Memories can be fickle things. Easy to make and even easier to forget. Memories can be manipulated and altered, especially in the world we live in now with both ninjutsu and genjutsu in place to achieve such deceptions" says Itachi.

Hinata takes a step forward, her face now serious. "What are you saying, sensei? That someone has messed with my memories and that I'm being tricked by someone?"

"I'm not saying anything. All I'm doing is suggesting that you don't base all your choices on your memories alone. If nothing else, you should look to you heart more than any other" says Itachi.

"My heart...?" says Hinata, placing a hand against her chest.

"While manipulating and changing memories is easy for ninja, to change what the heart knows is impossible. If you ever doubt, look to your heart and it will always lead you true..."

Hinata takes in what he was saying, giving this a great deal of thought. And then she recalls something. Sakuya hated Jinchuriki, believed nothing good could come from them. She had gone to meet Naruto and then...Sakuya was friends with Konan, who was a member of the group dedicated to hunting and capturing the nine Biju Jinchuriki like Naruto and Moegi. Was it possible that...

Hinata suddenly grasp her head as something begins to form within her. An image, static like and blurry; one of her being stabbed by a black rod like object and not by a chakra attack from Naruto. And the rod, it looked like the ones sticking out of Nagato's back. "I...I think I remem..."

A sudden spike of pain surges through Hinata's mind, making her go rigid and fall forward. Itachi quickly moves to her and catches her before she can hit the ground. In her mind, a flash of the Rinnegan appears before the static memory and Hinata's current thought process fade away from awareness. "What happened?" she asked weakly.

_'I see, so Nagato left a little backup inside her when he altered her memories to make remembering the truth harder for her' _thinks Itachi as Hinata pulls away from him.

"I...I'm going to lie down now, sensei..." says Hinata as she turns and heads out of the room.

Once he was alone, Itachi remains looking at the door she had just left through for a second more before turning away. It seems all he could do for her now was continue training her so that, when the time comes, she will be ready to play her true role at Naruto's side; such was his promise to her...

**(elsewhere)**

"Hm..." says Nagato, getting Konan's attention.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Hinata...she almost recalled the truth" was his response.

"But how can you be sure? And do you know what might have caused it?" asked Konan.

"I can sense Hinata's mind, having touched it before, so long as she and I are close enough to one another. And no, I don't know. But if it can happen now, then it will likely happen again" says Nagato.

"So, what can we do then?" asked Konan.

"I'll have to fashion something that will allow me more direct access to her mind. Though I had hoped to avoid such an act, it seems I have no other choice but to exert some measure of control over her thoughts and feelings..." says Nagato.

**(The former Temple of Ama)**

Han stood atop the rubble, having finished his investigation. When he had first arrived here, he had suffered a moment of terror, thinking the order had been attacked by some unknown force and that Mei, Tenten, may have been killed as a result.

He had then quickly made his way over to the destroyed temple and had begun to search through the remains, finding no bodies amongst the fallen stone, soon he had concluded that everyone must have managed to escape. And then, he found the source of the destruction.

The Order themselves had destroyed their own home. But why? And where had they gone to?

At first, he considered they may have returned to Tamatsa, where the original temple had been built long ago. But that seemed unlikely seeing as Tamatsa was now under Hyuga control and they weren't big on Ama worship, or so he had heard. Was there another temple they could fall back on?

"Where are you, Mei?" he says quietly to himself.

Realizing he had little choice left, he stepped off the temple remains and back onto the road, then he reached deep within himself, calling upon Gobi's chakra. As the Gobi was the most skilled hunter of the nine Biju, it was possible he might be able to find clues upon the ground showing their movement.

Kneeling down, getting on all fours, Han sniffs at the ground using enhanced senses, his eyes beginning to glow and become wolf like in appearance as he began to pick something up. It was incredibly faint; far to faint for any normal animal to pick up. But for a Biju, not impossible.

A multitude of smells, mostly feminine and wood and one smell was familiar to him; Mei's smell, so much like her mothers. Standing up, he could now see the faintest line tracing along the ground. He knew if he followed it, it would lead him to his destination. And then, he would finally reunite with Mei again, even if it was still to soon. He just hoped his distance all these years wouldn't lead to sorrow...

**(Mt. Myoboku – one month later)**

_'It was time' _thought Naruto as he prepared himself for the attack. It had been much work, but he had managed to learn the jutsu they had taught him. And now, it was time to see if what he had learned would pay off in action.

The sudden sound of kunai cutting through the air has him spin to look at his right, seeing three kunai coming right at his head. Making a hand sign, Naruto takes in a deep breath, then channels chakra into his lungs before releasing his first wind style jutsu. "Wind style; Blast Breath."

Naruto then exhales a powerful blast of wind that causes the three kunai to be sent off course, landing around him. The sound of more is then heard from above, coming at him from all directions. Gathering wind chakra around his whole body, Naruto spins around, creating a powerful vortex of wind as he spins. "Wind style; Sweeping Cyclone."

The multitude of kunai are caught within the cyclone and are sent flying back towards their destination. As Naruto comes to a stop, he is happy to find he is no longer getting dizzy from using that jutsu. The sound of sabo hitting the ground makes him turn to see Jiraiya coming in from behind, planning to attack his backside. Naruto now channels chakra into his right arm and, as Jiraiya gets close enough, thrust outwards, planting his hand against his chest. "Wind style; Gale Palm."

The attack blast Jiraiya back, though he lands on his feet; a grin present on his face. Naruto smiles too till the sound of lightning crackling sends him again into an alert phase. Turning, he sees Kakashi coming at him with his Lightning Blade aimed to puncture his shoulder. Now channeling chakra into his feet, Naruto says "Wind style; Swift Sprint" just as Kakashi reaches him, only to find empty air as Naruto, moving like a blur, dodges his attack and moves to stand at his back.

Kakashi allows the Blade to fade out before looking back at Naruto, smiling beneath his mask. "Good work, Naruto. You have shown mastery over these four wind style jutsu. Now, with time and practice, you'll eventually learn how to use them without the use of either hand signs or even vocal commands."

"But just to be safe, lets go over again on their individual uses" says Jiraiya.

Naruto nods, then says "First, Blast Breath; a jutsu that is used for redirecting an incoming attack like a kunai or shuriken, though impractical for stopping larger objects unless I can actually muster a hurricane force wind from my mouth, which is difficult for many, impossible for most."

"Next, Sweeping Cyclone; this jutsu, activated by either spinning your body if you're a beginner or just making a quick twisting motion if you are more an expert, creates a power twister around you, protecting you from attacks coming in at all sides. While not as powerful as Blast Breath, it is more intimidating in appearance. It can also be fairly dangerous if enough chakra in poured into it."

"Gale Palm; by channeling chakra into one or both hands, I can blast an enemy back through physical contact, causing some measure of bodily damage in the process. Refined enough, you can inflict serious injury when hitting a target with it."

"And then there's Swift Sprint; a jutsu that allows one to move incredibly fast, like a blur, over short distances by channeling wind chakra into your feet. Good for dodging an incoming attack that's gotten to close for comfort and keeping a fleeing opponent from making an escape. Though this jutsu does have a downside. Due to how quickly in can drain the users stamina and endurance, it is not practical to use over long distances."

"Very true, Naruto" says Kakashi, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But seeing you have stamina and endurance well beyond the norm, it may be possible for you to use it over long range sprints. Best way to know for sure though would be for you to see how far you can go without needing to stop."

"I was thinking the same thing" says Naruto, already preparing to give it a try.

"Hold on there, Naruto" says Jiraiya, getting their attention. "There'll be plenty of time for testing that theory out later. For right now, lets see the advance jutsu in action."

"Right..." says Naruto as Kakashi steps back. Early into the wind jutsu training, it had been decided that instead of teaching Naruto an advanced wind style technique, they would help him create one instead. Jiraiya then revealed that Naruto's father, Minato, had once told him a secret about the Rasengan; that it was only the first stage to a greater power. One that called upon elemental chakra.

Naruto, as his son, was charged with the duty to finish what his father and started and Naruto had taken the challenge willingly. Naruto holds both arms out before him, his hands held close together with fingers spread apart and pointed at one another with just a small space existing between the tips.

"Here we go..." he says as he begins to focus his chakra, calling upon his wind nature.

For a moments time, there was nothing. And then, a small yellow dot begins to form in the center space between his hands, one that begins to slowly grow larger. A sudden wind begins to pick up, flowing around Naruto as a whistling sound becomes audible to everyone's ears. The ball continues to grow, now a pulsing white light beginning to emerge from the yellow chakra ball, blade like and spinning ever rapidly.

Jiraiya crosses his fingers as Kakashi says silently "Come on..."

_'Almost there...' _thinks Naruto as he begins to apply more chakra to finish the jutsu. And then, it burst like a balloon, sending Naruto off his feet as a reverse wind slams into him from the sudden release. If not for Kakashi and Jiraiya moving quickly and saving him, he would have suffered a nasty impact with several trees.

"Damn, I was so close too..." says Naruto as they help him to stand.

"Yet despite that, you came pretty close, Naruto" points out Jiraiya.

"And in so short of time as well. You'll get in in no time" adds Kakashi.

Naruto looks at them, then smiles and says "Thanks for the encouragement...and the save, sensei's. So, what happens now? Do we keep trying to master this wind Rasengan?"

Jiraiya shakes his head and says "Actually, I was thinking we move on to Sage training now. Perhaps what you gain through that will help you finish the new Rasengan. That is, if you want to."

"Of course. I mean, that is the reason I came here to begin with" says Naruto, recalling the vision from his walkabout; the vision of him dressed in Sage garments similar to Jiraiya's, wearing a red and black colored version of his father's jacket with the weird eyes he assumed was connected to the sage power.

"Then this is where I'll be taking my leave then" says Kakashi.

"Huh, you mean you aren't gonna stick around and help me with this, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"I'd like to, but I wouldn't know the first thing about sage training. So it would be better for me to leave it in master Jiraiya's and lord Fukasaku's capable hands. Besides, they probably need me back in the village. As we're still recovering from Orochimaru's attack and will be for a few years yet, they'll need every ninja available to do missions."

"I understand. Tell Shikamaru, Ino, and the rest high for me" asked Naruto.

"I will" says Kakashi.

"Kakashi, let Shizune know I'll be coming back in time for the birth and I'll be sticking around for a long while after that" asked Jiraiya,

"Will do" says Kakashi as he places his hand on the guest charm, then pulling it off him. "See you later, Naru..." The moment he had pulled it free, he vanished; instantly sent back to Konoha and leaving the charm to fall onto the ground, which Jiraiya is quick to scoop up.

"Now then, let's go have some lunch. Then, we'll begin Sage training." And with that, Naruto and Jiraiya turned and head back towards their huts.

**(Sanctuary)**

Mada's punches moved like grease lightning through the air, each one with the intention of taking their target down. In turn, Hanabi's hands were quick to move, blocking and deflecting each attack. Ever few seconds, she saw an opening to counter attack and she didn't hesitate to take them, though Mada was able to defend against those attacks as well.

"Stop" says Mada, bringing her attack's to and end, then giving Hanabi a smile. "Not bad. I dare say you'd be a match for a chunin ranked ninja now; possibly a jonin as well."

"Thank you, master?" says Hanabi, bowing in respect.

"So, do you want to rest for a bit?" asked Mada.

Hanabi shakes her head, then says "No, I'm still good for a little more."

"Well, if you're sure" says Mada before pulling out a cloth and handing it to Hanabi.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"To place over your eyes. You gotten good at reacting to what you can see. Now its time to train your other senses to be just as capable as your sight" says Mada.

"But won't having the Byakugan have me covered there?" asked Hanabi.

"Technically, yes. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared for moments when you can't see anything, even with your eyes. In any case, just put it on."

"OK..." says Hanabi, doing as she was told.

"Now, child. Don't go cheating on me now by using your Byakugan. I will know if you do" says Mada.

Now seeing only dark, Hanabi focuses on her hearing, waiting for any sound to alert her to Mada's location. A sudden push against her back neck sends her spinning around, a punch only hitting dead air. Then another touch to her right shoulder, then stomach followed by her back and right knee. Each time, Hanabi quickly tries to grab or attack Mada, only to find nothing. And worse was the fact that she hadn't heard anything. "OK, now take off the blind fold" instructs Mada.

"I...I couldn't hear you move" admits Hanabi.

"That's because I was keeping the sounds suppressed, which is a possibility you may encounter one day" says Mada.

"But if that's the case, how can I fight back if I can neither see or hear my opponent?" asked Hanabi.

"You'll know soon, seeing as that is where your training will take you next" says Mada before beginning to explain to Hanabi about the pulse sense created by all things.

Outside of the Casteopa, Fuu and Moegi work on a few simple drills up top. "So, when will I be able to take the trial, Fuu?" asked Moegi, stopping from her mimicking Fuu's movements.

"Hard to say. Only grandma can know for sure. But with the progress you've made, I'm assuming it won't be much longer" says Fuu.

"I hope you're right" says Moegi before mimicking Naruto's Invocation. "After all, I want to get my Mazuko mask too; just like you and big brother have."

"Well, if you want, we can..." says Fuu before a suddenly feeling gets her attention.

"The portal?" says Moegi, feeling it too. "Could it be big brother?"

"No because he would have been reversed summoned back to this spot otherwise" says Fuu before heading towards the portal, wondering who could have come here. As soon as she and Moegi arrive, her eyes go wide with surprise. "Wait, you guys..."

Gaara and Utakata look at her and Utakata says "We've both decided to accept the offer to train here, if it's still open of course?"

**(Myoboku)**

"Ready to begin your Sage training, Naruto?" asked Fukasaku.

"You bet I am, but where exactly will I be training at around here?" asked Naruto.

"You'll see soon enough. Now, if you'll follow me then" says Fukasaku.

"Hold it there a minute" comes a new voice. Naruto looks to see an old, female toad wearing a purple cape hoping towards him.

"It's been a long time, ma'am" says Jiraiya.

"To you as well, bouya" replies the female toad.

"Naruto, allow me to introduce you to my wife, Shima. She, too, is a Sage of Myoboku" says Fukasaku.

"Hm, geezer sage's wife, huh?" says Naruto, looking at her. "Nice to meet you, granny sage."

"And you as well, young bouya" replies Shima before looking at Fukasaku and snickering.

"And what's that about, ma?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just find it cute he calls you geezer sage" says Shima before chuckling a bit more loudly.

"It's not all that funny. Not nearly so than him calling Jiraiya-boy pervy sage" says Fukasaku.

"Now why'd you go and tell her..." asked Jiraiya, before Shima interrupts him.

"Pervy Sage? Oh, I'm liking this young bouya more and more" says Shima before breaking into a full laugh.

"Anyways, ma. You need something before we begin his sage training?" asked Fukasaku.

"Yes, actually. I was thinking seeing as the young bouya here is gonna be Jiraiya-boy's successor as our new human honorary sage, I should make him a new pair of clothes, befitting a Sage" says Shima.

"Yes, that does make sense" admits Jiraiya.

"New clothes, huh?" says Naruto before examining his current attire. "Well, I guess I could use something new seeing as these have seen better days."

"Glad you agree. Now, stand straight and hold your arms out while I do a few measurements" says Shima, pulling out a measuring tape. After getting the information, she then studies Naruto and jots a few more things down, mumbling something about "color combinations".

"Well, that should do it. I'll be sure to have them ready before your training is complete" says Shima before hopping off to begin her work. "Oh, by the way, Jiraiya-boy. Congratulations on the child. Make sure you bring him or her around after the birth when you get the chance."

"Now then, let's get going" says Fukasaku.

As they walk, Jiraiya suddenly ask "Say, can you handle the first two steps without me, lord Fukasaku?"

"I can. Is something wrong?" asked Fukasaku.

"I want to head back to Senhana and check in on Shizune. I don't know why, but I suddenly got this weird vibe, telling me I should go back" admits Jiraiya.

"Go ahead. I'll contact you when we're ready for phase three" says Fukasaku.

Before Naruto can say anything, Jiraiya makes a hand sign and returns to the other side. "I hope everything's OK back there" says Naruto. Soon after, they enter a tunnel with a large door at the end, which Fukasaku opens and beyond is a small pond filled with glowing green water.

"What is this place?" asked Naruto.

"A shrine to nature energy. I believe such a shrine exist beneath Senhana; within the Senheart" says Fukasaku. "This is where we'll begin your Sage training."

And just what exactly am I going to be doing?" asked Naruto.

Fukasaku hops from his mobile ride and over to the pool, then looks at Naruto and waves for him to come join him. "Naruto-boy, the reason you are a candidate for Sage training is because you possess the gift to sense the energy, or spirits, in nature. A fact I myself have verified. I'm sure you know now when."

Naruto nods, recalling his "accident" while on the road to get an Inuzuka tracker. "The first stage of your sage training is to help you gain the ability to sense nature energy at will, not just on rare occasions by chance like you have up till now.."

"OK, so how does me being here with nature energy enriched water help out?" asked Naruto.

"Stick out you hand and I'll show you" was the reply.

Naruto nods and does so, pulling the sleeve of his jacket up to reveal flesh. Fukasaku, in turn, dips a spoon he produces from his cloak into the water, scooping up a little, then pouring it onto Naruto's skin. Immediately, Naruto feels a new energy passing through him; nature energy. And then, he sees his arm beginning to distort and change.

"What the..."

WHACK goes Fukasaku's cane against the back of his head, causing the effect on his arm to stop and reverse. "Ow, what was that for?" shouts Naruto.

"Sorry, I should have explained it all in full before. Basically, this is the plan. Through exposure to this liquid, you'll gain the ability to connect with nature energy at any time rather quickly. The down side is that unless you can control it, which is what the next step will be, it will go out of control within you and you will petrify. To avoid this, I'll hit you with my cane here to knock the energy out of you."

"Are you sure this is the only way?" asked Naruto, getting a nod in response. He then grumbles something about Fukasaku being a sadist, then says "OK, lets keep at it then."

**to be continued...**

**next time: Hinata vs Itachi; Han vs Akatsuki**


	14. 14 Exiled Girl

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.14: Exiled Girl**

Naruto sat upon the ground; legs crossed, arms resting upon his knees with hands locked together, eyes closed as he focused. To the side, Fukasaku and Gamakichi watched with baited breath for Naruto to show the signs. And then Naruto's skin begins to slowly turned stone gray and rocky, forcing Fukasaku to raise his cane up and swing it against Naruto's back, reversing the petrifaction effect.

"Seriously, there has to be an easier...and less painful method of stopping that side effect" groans Naruto, reaching back to rub the now sore spot. But he smiles none the less as he looks at the two toads. "Still, I can finally do it though."

"Indeed, Naruto-boy. And at a much faster rate than Jiraiya-boy too" says Fukasaku.

Gamakichi claps his flippery hands together and says "I knew you could do it, Naruto."

"So, what now? I can sense nature energy well enough without the aid of this oily stuff. But a lick of good it does me when I start to morph as a result each time" says Naruto.

"That's what the second part of your sage training is for, Naruto-boy. The first was all about being able to sense nature energy at will. The second is about controlling it so you can enter Sage Mode. Now, if you'll follow me, we'll head over to spot we'll be using next" says Fukasaku before heading towards the exit, with Naruto and Gamakichi right behind him.

As they walk, Naruto ask "So, geezer sage, why is it when I draw in nature energy, I either start to turn to stone or I start to turn into a toad who's made of stone?"

"That's just how nature energy works. In both cases, your body petrifies when you are unable to regulate the energy. But you either just turning to stone or becoming a toad first is a random effect caused by being here in Myoboku. Outside, it can be different. Like with Senhana, you could turn into a plant instead of a stone statue" says Fukasaku.

"Good times no matter where you are, huh?" jokes Naruto. After a minute of silence, he ask "So, what exactly am I gonna be doing as far as my second training goes?"

"You're gonna die of course, Naruto" says Gamakichi in a matter of fact tone.

"Say WHAT?" cries Naruto, looking at him which makes Gamakichi laugh.

"Don't be messing with the lad, Kichi" says Fukasaku, shaking his head. He then looks at Naruto and says "The reason you begin to morph as you do when drawing in nature energy is due to motion. Up till now, you have been moving in some form; like breathing for example. In order to safely draw in nature energy, you must escape the animal motions and gain the stillness of a plant. Only then and Sage Mode be achieved."

"In other words, staying still perfectly is key here" says Naruto.

"That's as good an explanation as any" says Fukasaku before they arrive in an area filled with long, pointy rocks reaching high into the sky. "We're here."

Naruto looks to the tops of these pointy rocks and ask "OK, and how will this help us?"

Fukasaku answers by grabbing a plank of wood he had already left here before hand and tosses it up onto a point, following quickly after it; resting perfectly centered on it and finding a perfect balance with the plank so it doesn't weave or wiggle.

"Grab the other plank and do as I do. Once you can balance like I am perfectly while remaining motionless upon the plank, you will know you have mastered the method and Sage Mode will be yours to use as you see fit" says Fukasaku.

Naruto gulps, knowing this was gonna be hard. Gamakichi wishes him luck as he tosses the plank up and jumps on it, only to immediately fall back onto the ground. "This really isn't going to be easy..."

"You'll get the hang of it" shouts down Fukasaku. "And just so you know, Jiraiya-boy was never able to do this. So if you can master it, you can brag about being his better."

Naruto can't help but smirk at the thought of that as he tosses the plank back up and tries again...

**(Sanctuary)**

"I thank you both for coming here. Though I must ask why you have chosen to come to me?" asked Mada as she looked at Gaara and Utakata.

"It was Naruto's offer that first peeked my interest, I guess..." admits Utakata. "After I returned from my mission, I talked with lady Mizukage about taking a little time off and she said she would give it to me following my undertaking one more mission; to come here and master my Biju powers."

"I want to control this force within me, so I won't hurt the one I...I mean those I lo...care for" says Gaara, thinking of Matsuri and her confession to him a few weeks back. "I talked with my father and he agreed with me about training here with you."

"I see..." says Mada, taking a moment to think while Fuu, Moegi, and Hanabi watched quietly from the side. "So I take it Tsunade has been in contact with lord Kazekage and lady Mizukage then?"

Gaara doesn't respond, but Utakata says "I'm not sure, but I assume that is the case."

"Well, all the same I'm glad yo are here. We'll begin your training with the trial with the Chamber of Self" says Mada, pointing to the rock wall as a door opens up. "Both Naruto and Fuu have faced the trial and overcame it and Moegi here will be taking it within the month."

"Seriously? Alright..." shouts Moegi, happy to hear this news.

"What is this trial?" asked Gaara.

"You enter the chamber of self, which then seals itself up. You sit at the center of the room and meditate, being pulled into the seal the contains the Biju chakra. You must then face your inner darkness and overcome it. If you succeed, you'll gain access to you Biju control mask which will make using the power easier so the rest of the training will go easier" says Mada.

"And if we fail the trial?" asked Utakata.

"The darkness will take you and the chamber will...purify you" says Mada.

"By that, she means kill you in order to insure you don't become a threat" says Fuu.

"No pressure then" says Utakata, looking at the chamber entrance. He then goes to walk towards it, but Gaara reaches out and places his hand on Utakata's shoulders; stopping him.

"Let me go first" says Gaara, passing him and walking into the path. "I need to do this..."

"Understood, brother..." says Utakata as the opening closes behind Gaara.

**(Hinata)**

The large room was pitch black, save for one column of light shining down at its very center, illuminating Hinata as she stood with her eyes closed, arms raised up in preparation for any possible attack to be launched at her.

Off to the side was Konan, keeping her eyes on Hinata while also alert to any attack as well; not because she would be targeted, but in case she needed to move quickly in order to avoid being caught in any errant strike or jutsu. Even she was wondering where Itachi could be in hear as he was a master of being hidden in the shadows.

Hinata didn't have her Byakugan active at this time. Though having it active would make finding her sensei and opponent easy, it would also defeat the purpose of this exercise which was to test her reaction time to sudden attacks from unexpected directions. But once the attacks had begun, it was all in fair game for anyone here.

From where he was concealed, Itachi allowed a quick, slight smile to form. Her pose and focus were nothing short of perfect. She was aware, alert, and ready to act and react at a moments notice. Despite the short time that had passed since taking her on as a student, the level of progress she had shown was nothing short of unprecedented. But now, it was time to see just how far she could be pushed.

He makes a hand sign and takes in a deep breath. _'Fires style; Fireball jutsu' _he mentally commands before releasing a massive ball of flames from his mouth, aimed at Hinata. He then immediately breaths in again and mentally commands _'Fire style; Phoenix Flower jutsu'_, releasing a large volley of mini flames that quickly followed after the large fireball.

In an instant, the room was illuminated by the large ball of fire, coming from four o'clock of Hinata's standing point. Her eyes shooting open, she turns and runs at the flame, noting there being just enough space between it and the ground to slide under. Gathering chakra along her backside, she does just that; flinging herself down and sliding under the flame, then righting herself just in time to see the next attack incoming.

Somehow, she launches herself up and over the second attack without missing a beat, then spins around to smack her battle claws against the mini flames to both disperse them while using a trick she had been taught to makes her claws hotter by touching them against the flames.

Just as she lands, she feels the presence come over her and looks up to see Itachi bearing down from above with double kunai in his hands. Hinata raises her claws up, blocking them for a second before her hands begin to be pushed towards the ground. At first, Itachi thinks he is simply overpowering her till he realizes she isn't even trying to push back. Instead, Hinata uses the momentum of his motion to flip herself forward, landing a spinning kick against the top of his head before he can move to guard.

Itachi collapses to the ground and, for a moment, it appears as if Hinata may have won this. But then, Itachi's body burst into a flock of chakra crows that go flapping off while Hinata activates her Byakugan at last to locate her real target, spotting him in seconds.

Itachi, knowing he had been spotted, jumps into the air, throwing eight kunai out in wild directions, then sending a second wave outwards, impacting against the first to redirect their angles so Hinata has eight targets coming at her from multiple directions. To him, there was no way to escape them all without moving from her current standing spot and he was already moving to attack her directly for when she did move.

However, Hinata cracks a grin before breaking into a spin; releasing a large amount of chakra that becomes a dome of energy surrounding her. "Rotation" is heard from her as all eight kunai are deflected and sent flying back. Itachi stops his advance as Hinata stops spinning and begins to move back.

"To late..." she says, taking a step forward. Itachi finds his movements becoming slower and more sluggish. "You're still within range of my attack" she adds before taking up a specific battle stance. "8 Trigrams; 64 Palm" she says before launching herself at Itachi.

"8 Trigrams..." she says again before beginning to land hit after hit against Itachi, the effect of her trigram seal upon the ground slowing his motions enough to make defending impossible. "2 Palm, 4 Palm, 8 Palm, 16 Palm, 32 Palm...8 Trigrams, 64 Palm" she shouts, slamming him with the last strike.

Off to the side, Konan can't help but whistle from how impressed she is. Who would have guessed such a delicate, fragile girl like this in appearance could be such predator on the battlefield. Itachi coughs up blood, then collapses onto the ground before his body again breaks apart into flocking crows.

Hinata then suddenly spins around, pulling a kunai from her side out, and tossing it into the darkness. "Enough hiding, come face me" she shouts.

"Fine..." says Itachi, appearing before her with his Mangekyou Sharingan active. "Tsukuyomi" he says, hitting Hinata with his ultimate genjutsu before she can react, making her collapses onto the ground. He then pulls a dagger out and presses it against her heart. "You asked for this..." he says, but stops as he feels a pressure against his ribs.

"As did you..." says the real Hinata, suddenly standing with her back to his, her chakra covered battle claws pressed up against his sides. Itachi glances back at her, then back at the Hinata laying on the ground who begins to liquify, revealing it was, in fact, a water clone.

Itachi sighs, then smiles as he turns back to look at her. "Not bad. I dare say you pass my test."

Hinata pulls her own attack away before stepping back, facing him, then bowing. "Thank you for your words, sensei."

Konan's clapping gets their attention as she comes walking up. "Hinata, that was pretty damn good. You have mastered your Rotation and 64 Palm techniques quickly. And I was completely unaware that you could make a water clone too?"

"I took the liberty to determine her chakra nature. I figured it could help her in the long run" says Itachi.

"And help her it did, it seems" says Konan.

"Where's lady Sakuya at? I figured she'd be here as well" asked Hinata.

"She's busy with Slayer matters at the moment. But you'll have time to brag to her later" says Konan.

"I see..." says Hinata, before looking away sadly. "Its been a while since I've seen Tenten or any of the other girls. I should make an effort to catch up so they won't think I'm being distant to them."

"You can do that later. For now, return to your room and rest a while. After all, fighting Itachi must be tiring" says Konan.

Hinata wanted to say she was fine, but she was feeling tired. So, she instead says "I will do that then."

"Hinata..." says Itachi, getting her attention. "There won't be any more training exercises between us for the next month as I must leave to fulfill my other duties as a member of the Akatsuki. Perhaps during this time, you can do some Slayer missions with your Sister, Tenten; for old times sake."

"I think that will be a good idea as well" says Konan.

"Thank you, I will" says Hinata before bidding them both goodby and heading off to get some rest.

Once it was just the two of them, Itachi looks at Konan and says "So, are you gonna tell her...about Tenten?"

"It's a Slayer matter so I'll leave it up to Sakuya to tell her. But thanks for the reminder as I need to make her come and do it too" says Konan before thinking back to what she had heard; the argument that had led to Tenten's explosion from the Order of Ama.

**(5 days before)**

"Sakuya, we need to talk" says Tenten, her voice serious as she comes walking into the room without even knocking.

"You may enter" says Sakuya, sounding annoyed which was a given seeing all the things she had been dealing with as of late. "So tell me, Tenten. You forget about manners since we set up shop in Ame? Forget to knock and await permission before entering your leaders room?"

Tenten ignores her and ask "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" asked Sakuya, now a little miffed that Tenten had ignored her previous words.

"That Hinata is being trained by a member of the Akatsuki?" asked Tenten.

Sakuya roles her eyes. She knew this was coming; just not with Tenten reacting quite like this. "Yes, its true. Hinata and I are now official members of the Akatsuki. And because of that, she needs special training to bring her up to their standards. And only an Akatsuki can do this properly."

"So what am I, chop liver?" shouts Tenten. "I'm Hinata's Sister, her mentor. It's my job to train her or at least be present when she's training with another or have you forgotten the rules in this matter our Order had made mandate in times past?"

"I see; so that's what this is about. You're jealous that Hinata is receiving superior instruction from one far more skilled than you" retorts Sakuya. She then shakes her head and says "Disgraceful; and here I thought I taught you better than to allow such pitiful feelings to rule your judgment."

Tenten clenches her fist, then says "That isn't the only reason. To be honest, I don't trust them; the Akatsuki. They attacked us before, me and Hinata, when we came to Naruto, Moegi, and Fuu's aid a few months back."

"They only attacked because you were trying to protect those demonic beast. Had you two stayed back and minded your own business, then you both would have been fine and the heartbreak we suffered when we thought Hinata had been taken from us would never have happened."

Tenten goes quite for a moment. While that technically was true, she somehow doubted it would have been that easy. To be honest, this whole situation wasn't syncing well with her. She had always prided herself on being aware of something being off, feeling wrong. It was a reason behind her still being alive today. And given they were now based in Ame, a place that gave her bad vibes, and aligned with the Akatsuki who definitely gave her a creepy feeling didn't make things any better.

"Let me see, Hinata..." says Tenten, her voice low.

"Oh, giving ME orders now? The nerve..." says Sakuya, now getting angry.

"Why won't you let me see her? Ever since she started this training, you have forbade me or anyone else in the Order from seeing her. You say it's so she can focus on her training, but I don't buy it" says Tenten.

Sakuya gets up and starts to walk around her desk towards Tenten. "Are you daring to question my decisions? Don't forget, little wayward princess. I, NOT YOU, am the leader here."

Tenten, now fuming, slams her fist against the desk and shouts out with all her might "LET ME SEE HINATA."

Sakuya, her own rage now at its peek, reacts by slapping Tenten as hard as she can. The impact enough to knock Tenten off her feet and fall back onto the ground with a bruise already starting to form from the impact. Tenten, shocked by her reaction, reaches up and touches the now sore and tender spot.

Sakuya leans down, grabs her tunic and forces her face close to hers. "You little bitch, I've had enough of your spoiled attitude. You may be the heir to an entire kingdom. But here, you are a little nothing, less than nothing. Girls with attitude and respect problems like you seem to have need to be punished in order to be put in their place and I happen to know a few good ones befitting a girl like you."

Tenten looks at her shocked. Was she saying...was she planning on...?

"While I'm sure I could find any number of males who would be willing to aid me here in Ame or even within the Akatsuki, I won't be that heartless. Instead, this will be more than enough punishment for you." Sakuya then pushes her back as she releases her, standing tall and menacingly over her.

"Mei Tenra vu Chin-Xi, also known as Tenten to her fellow Sisters; I, Sakuya, head of the Order of Ama, here by expel you from the Order, effective immediately."

Now Tenten's eyes were as wide as humanly possible. ""I...I'm being...expelled...?"

"Yes, right now in fact" says Sakuya, spiting the words out as if they were bile. "Return to your room and collect your personal effects. However, you are not allowed to take anything that belongs to the Order itself. You have till sun down to be gone or I will personally throw you out of Ame. You are no longer welcome here, or anywhere else even close around here."

Tenten wanted to argue this, but she knew Sakuya well enough to know she was stubborn; that once she made a choice or decision, she very rarely ever changed her mind. So, instead, Tenten stands up and begins to walk for the door.

"Tenten..." she says, getting her attention. "I will allow you to remain with us...but under two conditions. One, you apologize for your words and swear never to speak up against me again. And two, you capture one of the nine Biju Jinchuriki on your own, no help from anyone else in the Order. Do these two things, and I will give you a second chance."

Tenten looks at her for a moment, then walks away as Sakuya adds "But no matter what, you are no longer Hinata's Sister", which does make her stop as tears well up in her eyes. She then leaves the room.

**(present)**

Tenten was now standing in the middle of nowhere, rain falling hard down upon here water soaked cloak. As ordered, she had no Ama items or garments upon her. The clothes she was wearing were those she had purchased before leaving. Everything else she had on her is the stuff she had when Han had brought her to the Order to begin with.

"Everything...was it all for nothing?" she wonders aloud.

She then shakes her head. It had been a thought deep within her before but now she was almost certain of it. Something was wrong with Sakuya, with the Order itself. And it was up to her to find out what that was. But she first needed to be allowed back into the Order. So, she was now on her own mission.

She would find Naruto herself and capture him. He would be her ticket back into the Order so she could find the source of the wrongness and bring it to an end.

**(back in Ame)**

"Dango, get your dango's here. Fresh hot dango awaiting to delight you" comes the old woman from the rain shielded stand to the crowd of people passing by in the rain soaked streets.

"How much?" comes a figure, walking up to her stand.

"Three ameba per serving, sir" she replied.

The figure reaches into his cloak pockets, pulling out some coins and says "I don't have any of the local currency, but will this do?"

The woman takes the money and examines it, then says "It will for three dango with what you handed me, sir."

"Then I'll take three then" says the man as the woman gets to work making them. As she works, the man ask "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know if the Order of Ama have relocated here by any chance?"

"Order of Ama?" she replies, thinking about it. "Ah yes, those nice priestess girls. Such lovely little things. Certainty caught the eye of many young and old man around here. I sure hope they can defend themselves as I fear some may make advances on them and won't take no for an answer."

_'I'm sure they can take care of themselves' _thinks Han as the woman turns around and hands the dango to him. "Here you go, sir."

"Thank you" says Han, taking his order. "By any chance do you know where I might find them at here? I...have a niece who's a member of the order, but I only recently learned of their relocation and I have never set foot within Ame's walls till today."

"I'm sorry, sir. But I'm afraid I just don't know. But if you keep heading down the streets here, you'll make it to the cities markets where you're sure to find someone who knows. Maybe even a member may be there."

"Thanks for the info, ma'am..." says Han, being stopped suddenly as a kid not paying attention to where he was going bumps into Han, making his umbrella waver enough to allow a few rain drops to make contact with his hat.

"Sorry mister" shouts the kid while running off.

As Han moves out into the street, he allows himself a moment to look skyward. There was no longer a need to guard against the rain with his umbrella, which had special seal marks on top to shield him from the presence he felt within the rain. Because of that kid, his presence here was now known which means he had little time to find Mei and get her out of here.

**(below the Daimyo's Tower)**

Nagato's eyes open suddenly from his slumber, saying just above a whisper "Konan..."

A few moments later, a sea of papers comes racing into the room and form into the blue haired angel. "Nagato, is something wrong?"

"Someone has managed to enter Ame without my knowing it. I have only now felt him by a sheer stroke of chance. And this person is a Jinchuriki; Gobi's Jinchuriki..."

"The Gobi...?" she says surprised. She then smiles and says "At last, the last of the unknowns has been found. What are your orders, Nagato?"

"This is a golden opportunity we cannot afford to pass up. Are there any Akatsuki agents present here in Ame now?"

"Just Hidan and Kakuzu, although Itachi and Kisame may still be close enough to be recalled quickly if needed" says Konan.

Nagato gives it a moments thought, then says "No, the immortal pair should be able to handle this one. Go, inform them of Gobi's host being here and order them to capture him without fail."

"Understood" says Konan as she goes to leave, but then stops and ask "What about your Pain Realms?"

"They are in the re-animators now and won't be useable for another ten hours. Time we can't afford to wait on" was Nagato reply. "Now, go..."

**(in another room, not far away)**

"We have a mission for you" says Konan, appearing in the darkened room.

"Are you serious?" comes a loud, obnoxious voice. "We just got back from a fekkin' mission and you want us to head out on another."

"Shut up, Hidan" comes another, deeper and more controlled voice. "Will it pay well?"

"Sorry, Kakuzu, but it isn't that kind of mission. Pain has detected a Jinchuriki within Ame's walls. To be more precise, the missing Gobi's Jinchuriki. You're orders are to capture him at once. Failure isn't an option here."

Hidan, despite still being a little miffed over having to head out for work again, he still couldn't help but smile none the less. "Gobi's Jinchuriki, huh? This might be fun after all."

"Just remember, Hidan, we have to capture him alive" says Kakuzu.

"Damn, and here I was hoping I could honor lord Jashin with a worthy sacrifice. Oh well, I guess some citizens will have to..."

"NO" shouts Konan. "You are to get him outside the city before you capture him. Any civilian deaths will be punished...not to mention come out of your pay", aiming that last part at Kakuzu.

"Don't worry, I'll keep in him check" said Kakuzu, reassuringly.

**(back outside)**

Han was now at the marketplace, carefully looking around and trying to decide just who to approach and ask about Ama when his eyes fall upon a figure moving around, dressed in the priestess robes of Ama. _'Lucky me...' _he thinks as he walks towards the girl.

Ai had just finished shopping...and had told her ninth man she wasn't interested. Honestly, she really wished they didn't have to live here now. Many of the men looked at her like a piece of meat which made her feel uncomfortable. She wondered what lady Chiyo would do if she was still in charge.

"Excuse me..." comes Han's voice, making Ai sigh as she turns around, thinking _'Here comes number ten for today.'_

"Are you a member of the Ama Order, by any chance?" asked Han.

"Yes sir. Do you require anything?" she asked back, expecting the man before her to give a dirty reply.

"Can you please take me to see Mei...I mean, Tenten? I'm an old family friend of hers" says Han.

"Tenten? You know Tenten?" asked Ai, getting a nod in response. Ai then looks away sadly as she had been trying to forget about that painful news. "I'm sorry, sir. But Tenten isn't with us anymore. She was expelled from the Order early this week."

"Expelled...?" says Han, shocked at hearing this. "But why was she expelled? Surely Chiyo would never..."

"Sadly, lady Chiyo in no longer in charge. We are led by Sakuya now" says Ai.

_'Sakuya? You mean that ego driven brat?' _thinks Han in surprise; he recalled meeting Sakuya briefly when he had brought Mei to the Order and didn't have a good opinion of her from that meeting.

"As for Tenten's explosion? I don't really know the details other than a rumor it had to do with Hinata..."

"Hinata?" Now Han had even more questions than before. "Please, tell me every..." he starts to say, but stops as he feels the approach of two dark and powerful chakra's beneath the street, coming closer to him. _'It seems they have found me; damn!'_

"Sir?" asked Ai, seeing him looking towards the ground.

"Do you have any idea where Tenten might have gone?" he asked suddenly.

Ai shakes her head and says "No idea, I'm sorry. But I did hear she might be allowed back in if she can capture one of those Biju Jinchuriki like that monster Naruto when he killed Hinata..."

"Naruto..." says Han, now confused as he recalls what Naruto had told him. He had so many questions but no time now to ask them...

"Thank you, miss" says Han before turning and moving swiftly towards the main gate.

"Hey sir, wait. Just who are you?" shouts Ai, but Han was already gone within the sea of people.

**(back in Nagato's chamber)**

Konan reenters the room, seeing Nagato looking up towards a misty image he himself was creating using his power. She walks over to join him and looks up at the image, showing a static image of the rain soaked streets of Ame and a figure wearing red armor with a brown tunic covering it moving swiftly through the crowds.

"Is that him?" she asked.

"Yes, that is our Gobi host" says Nagato.

"He's almost at the main gate" says Konan.

"It doesn't matter. I can sense the immortals already emerging outside the gate, awaiting him. Soon, we will finally have our first capture" says Nagato.

"You seem certain of that, Nagato" comes a voice, followed by a swirling in the air as a man wearing a spiral orange mask appears in the room.

"Lord Madara" says Nagato.

"Do you doubt them?" asked Konan.

"No" says Madara, allowing a second to pass before adding "But I think a little insurance wouldn't hurt here either..."

**(outside)**

Han exits the city, coming to a stop immediately as he sees two cloaked figures standing before him. "We've been waiting for you, mister Gobi" says Hidan.

Han scowls as he considered moving back into the city. Kakuzu, sensing this, says "I wouldn't do that if I were you. While we have been ordered to keep this battle outside the city, our orders to capture you are more absolute. If need be, we will kill those people within to capture you. Don't forget that..."

"I see, so there's no other option here then" says Han.

"None for you, Jinchuriki" says Kakuzu.

"Come on, Kakuzu. Lets just take him already. All this rain will make my scythe rust if it's exposed to long."

"No choice then" says Han, pulling a sword out from his side. "I won't fall to either of you..."

**to be continued...**


	15. 15 Negative Girl

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.15: Negative Girl**

The door into the chamber of self slowly opens and a very weary and worn Gaara emerges. Fuu moves to his side, taking a arm over his shoulder to help support him as she moves him to sit on a nearby chair that had been prepared for him.

"You doing OK?" asked Fuu as Gaara rested his back against the chair.

"I'll be fine" says Gaara, taking in some deep breaths.

"Moegi, go get Gaara some water to drink" instructs Mada, getting a nod from the younger girl who then heads down into the lower chambers. "So, how do you feel, Gaara?"

"Tired, and yet...it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders at the same time. For the first time in my life, I feel at peace; like I can finally sleep easy for once" says Gaara.

"I guess its my turn then" says Utakata, looking towards the chamber entrance. He then spares a moment to look at Gaara and says "Should I be on guard against anything?"

Gaara is silent for a moment before saying "Only of your own darkness. And don't forget the light by your side. Without it, you can't win..."

_'The light by my side?' _wondered Utakata. While he wanted to ask Gaara what he had meant by that, something told him that the answer he'd get would be "you'll know when you need to know" or something like that. "I'll be back..." says Utakata as he walks into the chamber.

As the door seals itself behind him, Gaara thinks to his own challenge. His dark doppelganger had nearly defeated him, till he allowed himself to think of Matsuri, Temari, and Kankuro. This had triggered a very old memory; of a woman holding him as a baby, swearing she would protect him. It was his mother and that memory had awakened something within him. That something had made his victory possible and his will to succeed had led him to achieve his victory.

"Be careful in there. He won't be easy on you..." says Gaara quietly to Utakata, though his words wouldn't be heard.

**(Ame – Gedo's Citadel)**

"But I think a little insurance wouldn't hurt here either..."

"What kind of insurance?" asked Nagato.

"I was thinking about Hinata. She has been showing great progress with her training under Itachi, after all. So I believe this will be a good test for her; to see if she does indeed have the talent to aid us" says Madara.

"You want us to send Hinata out as well?" asked Konan, perplexed by the idea. "Are you sure that's wise, lord Madara?"

"You don't trust her, do you?" says Nagato, not asking but stating a fact.

"I'd be lying if I said I did trust her completely" says Madara, allowing a moments pause before continuing. "While I'm confident of your work in changing her memories around, Nagato. I still believe her to be a potential hazard. Having her assist in the capture of a Jinchuriki would not only prove her commitment to this cause, but it will become a no turning back point for her..."

"You mean even if she does remember the truth eventually, having her aid us in the capture of a Jinchuriki now will keep her from returning to Naruto's side" asked Konan.

Madara nods and says "Exactly. After all, how could she ever be with him again, knowing what she helped do here today on top of her thinking as she does now. One way or another, we'll have won a victory against Naruto and made his capture more easier in the long run."

"Konan, create a paper clone and send it to Hinata. Give the order" says Nagato.

"As you wish..." says Konan, doing as told.

Once the clone was away, Madara says "To be honest with you both, its actually Sakuya I really worry about." Seeing their confused looks, he adds "Her hatred of the Jinchuriki and her desire to kill them unnerves me. To that end, she will need to prove her own loyalty soon enough."

_'And even then, I doubt I will ever fully trust that woman...'_

**(Ame – outside the city)**

Has Han raises his sword up, taking a battle stance, Hidan smiles as he steps forward and pulls his three bladed scythe from his back, spins it around a few turns, then brings it to the ready as well. "Stay out of this, Kakuzu. The will of Lord Jashin demands I take this one."

"Do as you please, so long as you remember we need him alive" says Kakuzu in his usual monotone voice. "He's no good to us dead."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that" mumbles Hidan, looking back at him. "Though killing a Jinchuriki would greatly please lord Jashin and grant me much favor too..."

"Hidan" says Kakuzu, warningly.

"I know, I know. Don't worry yourself, old man. I'll spare him" says Hidan as he looks back to Han, then says "This will be over in a flash..."

Those are the last words to escape his mouth before a glint of metal catches both men's eyes, followed by Kakuzu seeing Han now standing between himself and Hidan. Hidan just stands there, unsure of what happened as Han sheaths his sword. The moment the guard clanks against the sheath, Hidan's head falls off, rolling as it lands on the ground, and his body collapsing with a dull, soaked thud.

"Like you said; it was over in a flash" says Han, his eyes staying locked on Kakuzu.

Kakuzu sighs, shaking his head. "I told you to never let your guard down, Hidan."

"Oh shut up, fekkin' old man. Now is not the time for one of your damn ass lectures" shouts Hidan's head, catching Han by surprise as he turns back to see Hidan glaring up at him.

"Your mistake" says Kakuzu, using the moment to go at Han with a kunai that has a serrated blade.

The sound of metal slicing through the air quickly followed by metal being impacted and a dull thud upon the earth is then heard. Han had just barely managed to dodge enough so Kakuzu's attack hit against his shoulder pad, breaking it free from the rest of the body armor he wore, then slightly cuts into his shoulder. But before Kakuzu can cut deeper, Han pulls the shorted of his swords free and slices it upwards quickly, forcing Kakuzu to let go of his weapon and jump back to avoid injury himself.

"Quit fekkin' around, Kakuzu, and finish him. Or at least help me here" shouts Hidan's head.

Kakuzu ignores him and continues to look at Han. "I noticed the sword you're holding now, the second of your blades, is shorter than the first. I assume the longer is for reach and the shorter for speed."

"If that's how you want to see it, then fine..." was Han's reply.

"Well, enough with the banter. Let's end this" says Kakuzu before making several hand signs, then bending down quickly and slamming his hand onto the ground and says "Earth style; Granite Eruption."

Immediately, the ground before him starts exploding upwards, racing towards Han who, instead of dodging to the sign as Kakuzu had assumed he would do, chooses to instead remain standing in place as the imploding earth finally reaches him. But at the last second, Han jumps into the air at an angle pointing him at Kakuzu, using the sudden ground implosion to launch himself forward. Kakuzu, reading his forward momentum, jumps back enough to avoid being in range of any attack, but Han runs his armored hand over the short swords blade, causing it to be covered in water, which he then thrust outwards, causing the water blade to shoot out like a spear, nailing Kakuzu right in his heart.

"Kakuzu, you fekkin' idiot" shouts Hidan as Kakuzu's eyes bulge and his collapses onto the ground, dead.

"You underestimated me, friend" says Han, looking down at Kakuzu's body before turning his attention back to Hidan's head, who was currently swearing up a storm.

As he walks towards Hidan, Han says "I must admit, you still being alive after I decapitated you caught me off guard. But then I thought of your words before; speaking of a Jashin. Even back home in my native Chin-Xi, we have heard of the cult of Jashin. I do believe there may even be a sect or two around."

"Oh you have, huh? Then you must know about our policies then?" says Hidan.

"You kill without discrimination; all in the name of your dark god. To not kill is said to be a sin against him, correct?" asked Han.

Hidan smiles and tries his best to nod. "Tell me, you still being alive now; is that some special jutsu created for the exclusive use of cult members like yourself?"

"You could say that" says Hidan, suddenly feeling like gloating. "By enacting a specific ritual, then killing a target through this ritual, we can steal their life force and add it to our own. In doing this, even if we suffer a fatal injury, we will still live and can so long as we have the stolen life within us."

"I see" says Han, sheathing his short sword, then pulling the longer blade out. "Out of curiosity, why would a Jashin cultist join a group like the Akatsuki? Seems rather restrictive if you ask me."

"Oh, it is" says Hidan, wanting to keep Han's focus completely on him. "But necessity requires I throw in with them, seeing as I am the last Jashinite in Shumoa. However, learning that there may be some over in this Chin-Xi place peeks my interest. I'll have to check up on it when I get some free time."

"You assume I was going to leave you as you are" says Han, redirecting his blade so its held over Hidan's head. "When I'm done with you, no amount of stolen life force will save you. But before that, I have one last question for you. Does the Jashin cult know anything about a Yin Makai?"

"A what? Who's that?" asked Hidan.

"I guess not" says Han, strengthening his grip on the blade. "Goodbye, Jashinite."

"You first..." says Hidan, his eyes turning to Han's back.

Before Han can react, he feels a powerful impact slam into his back, followed immediately by a feeling of his insides burning, causing him to drop his sword and fall towards the ground. But his fall is stopped by organic wires which quickly wrap around and restricting Han.

"About time you attack, Kakuzu you bastard" says Hidan, seeing his partner with three masked creatures standing next to him.

Kakuzu looks to the yellow masked creature and says "Wind style; Piercing Air Bullet" and then to his right, at the red masked figure. "Fire style; Blazing Bubble", referring to the two attacks he had launched in unison. The third creature, who has a purple mask, just sparks with lightning from the rain hitting it.

"Gobi's capture, complete" he says. "Now, we should take him back while he's still unconscious..."

"After you fix me up, moron" shouts Hidan.

**(Hinata)**

Hinata sat crossed legged in the center of her room, on a mat laid out upon the floor. Since returning to her room, she had been meditating on her training thus far. She was curious as if it could help her with those special moves spoken of within the secret Kokugan scroll Chiyo had given her.

But Itachi's words to her from before kept playing over and over in her mind; about how memories can be deceived, tricked, and how she should not always trust in a memory but in the feelings that came from her heart instead. Why had he been so insistent in her knowing this? Did he know something she didn't? Perhaps through meditation, an answer could be reached or at least a possibility uncovered.

"Hinata" comes a voice, bringing her eyes to open. Getting back on her feet, Hinata says "A paper clone, miss Konan? Did you need something?"

Konan's clone smiles a little, saying "You are good; being able to tell the difference between a clone and the original even without an active Byakugan."

Hinata waves her off and replies "Not really. The fact you came in here without using the door properly and without a sound makes it stand to reason you would send a clone as something big must have happened."

"And you would be right" says Konan. "We've learned that a Biju Jinchuriki was stalking around Ame not to long ago."

"Naru...I mean, Kyubi?" asked Hinata.

"That would be luck, but no. What we have here is Gobi's Jinchuriki. We've already sent two of our Akatsuki agents out after him. But there are some in the order who still feel you need to be tested in order to prove that you can be trusted. Hinata, will you go out there and back them up?"

"If that is what I have to do, then I will. Where are they?" asked Hinata.

"Currently, Hidan and Kakuzu are engaging him outside the eastern wall" says Konan. "I'm sorry, though. I know this will be a hard thing for you, to join in a Jinchuriki capture..."

Hinata shakes her head and says "No, its fine. Besides, I need to do this. How else can I be sure that I can be counted on when the time comes, especially when I still have doubts myself..."

Konan nods, then says "I understand. But please, be careful."

Once Konan's clone had dispersed, leaving Hinata alone, the young girl waste no time dressing in her Slayer garments and gathering her best weapons. Once she was finished, she turns to head towards the door when a weird plant thing begins to grow out from the ground.

Going on the defensive immediately, Hinata shouts "Who or what are you? Are you a Makian?"

"No, I am not an enemy" says White Zetsu, making her see he was wearing Akatsuki robes. "My name is Zetsu, a member of the Akatsuki and a survivor of an experiment to cross human and Makian DNA."

Was he being honest? "If what you're saying is true, then why are you here?" asked Hinata.

A different sounding voice answered her question, one colder and harsher than the soft tender voice from before. "We were asked by a key member of the Akatsuki to bring you a gift. Something to help bring out you maximum skills."

He then pulls a small object; a bracelet made of amethyst, from his sleeves and hands it to Hinata. "What's this for?" asked Hinata.

"As was said before, just wear it and you will find yourself being more capable than ever before. This is a key many wear in secret as we must fight powerful threats for the safety of the people" says White Zetsu.

Hinata then looks at the bracelet and traces her finger around the edge, finding herself feeling compelled to put it on. Not wanting to waste time, she does as asked and slides it onto her left wrist. Suddenly, she becomes rigid as her eyes go wide. The bracelet shrinks just slightly, appearing to fuse with her wrist and causing a shadow to come over her eyes, like another pair of eyes overlapping her's for just a split second. And then, she returns to normal.

"What happened?" she asked, confused and having forgotten about the bracelet which was now hidden by her clothes sleeves. "Why did you come here again?"

"I guess she must have forgot when we told her. Can't blame her seeing it was a difficult reveal" says White Zetsu.

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata.

"Very well. I shall tell you again then. Hinata, there is one thing Konan didn't mention to you before when her clone was here. It was how we learned about Gobi's Jinchuriki being here in Ame."

"How did we learn?" asked Hinata.

"A Slayer found him, one of your Order Sister's. She realized who he was and tried to fight him, having learned he had come looking for you. She was mortally wounded as a result and died in the arms of another Sister who found her after the fact" says Black Zetsu.

Hinata's eyes go wide with shock at hearing someone within the Order was dead. "Who? Who was killed?" she asked.

"Her name was Tenten I believe" says Black Zetsu.

Tears start to fall from Hinata's eyes at hearing that. Tenten...dead? No, no way. She cups her mouth, unaware of the bracelet was starting to glow, suddenly filling her with intense anger and rage. She then balls her hands into fist and grits her teeth as she says "Thank you...for telling me this, Mr. Zetsu. Knowing this will make this capture much easier for me."

And with that, Hinata runs past him and out of the room, with White Zetsu shouting out "Remember, we need the Gobi host taken alive." Once they were alone, he ask "Was that really a wise idea? Telling her Tenten was dead?"

"It will suffice for the moment. But we should alert Sakuya of this so she won't have to worry seeing as Tenten was actually exiled" was Black Zetsu's response.

**(outside Ame)**

"Ah" says Hidan, rotating and popping a shoulder back into place before jerking his neck from side to side. "About fekkin' time you fixed me up. I was beginning to think you were just going to leave me here."

"I should have for being so careless back there" retorts Kakuzu.

Hidan scoffs and replies "Eh, I'm immortal. I can afford to be reckless to a degree. But what about you, old man? If not for the fact you have five hearts inside you, each attune to one of the five chakra elements, you'd be the dead one. By the way, which heart did you give up anyways?"

"My earth heart if you must know, Hidan. Easily enough replaced" replies Kakuzu. "Anyways, we've captured the Gobi. We should report back at once."

"And get out of this stupid rain to boot" agreed Hidan; one of the few times they both agreed on anything. "I'll get the body while you reemerge with those freaky mask pets of yours."

As Kakuzu did just that, he can't help but notice something odd about Han's armor. The rain water seemed to be getting soaked up into it, not dripping around and off it. Did that mean the armor absorbed water into it? Why? And wouldn't that make it heavier too? His eyes then fall onto the wound on Han's back.

Hidan comes to a stop before the downed Han and bends down. "You weren't so tough, were you Mr. Jinchuriki."

"More so than you might think" comes an unexpected reply. Before Hidan can react, Han's eyes open as he brings his right hand up in front of Hidan's face, blasting pure super hot steam at point blank range right into the Jashinte's eyes. Hidan howls in pain as he falls back, his hands grabbing at his face.

"Impossible. None have taken that combination and recovered so quickly" says Kakuzu.

"You have forgotten several factors though" says Han, returning to his feet. "One, I am a Jinchuriki to a Biju so my body can be healed rapidly. Two, the Gobi sealed within me is a natural pure water elemental beast and my own natural chakra element is fire. And in three, the fire attack you sent at me was negated by my own fire attribute combined with Gobi's water while the wind isn't as effective when used against water or fire as wind can boost both over damaging."

Kakuzu realized he was right about that. In battle, it was key to figure out an opponents element, then use an element that was aligned to weaken it. It was rare for him to not take this into consideration. Perhaps her was getting to old for this? "And your armor? And that steam attack?"

"Specially made by me. It can absorb water particles from the air, drawing them inside and then, through my fire nature, create artificial steam than I can then release as a weapon" replied Han.

"Who gives a damn, you fekkin' fek" screams Hidan, stumbling as he walks around unable to see. "My eyes, you burned my eyes..."

The sound of metal is heard cutting the air as Han slices Hidan's head off again, this time also taken off his arms and legs and slicing him at the torso, making Hidan scream even more. Han then looks at Kakuzu and ask "Any issues about my just putting him out of his misery?"

"Go ahead. It will save me a headache" says Kakuzu, having tired of Hidan's stupidity.

"Kakuzu, you bastard" shouts Hidan's head.

Han ignores him as he goes to make a final slice to cut Hidan's head clear down the middle when the sound of footsteps is heard splashing the rain soaked ground before a small, petite figure appears coming at Han, who is forced to bring is sword up the block the attack from the figures claw weapon. The attackers pushes against him and is then forced back, flipping in the air and landing near Kakuzu.

"Your days are over, Jinchuriki" says Hinata, her face mostly concealed by a strip of cloth.

**(Gedo chamber)**

"Hinata has finally arrived" says Nagato, looking forward to seeing her in action.

"Now we can see if she will be of any use to us" says Madara.

"Lord Madara, why is it that you have such mistrust in her? She believes Naruto killed her, thanks to Nagato's memory alteration. Isn't that enough?" asked Konan.

"My doubts lie more with the Byakugan than with her specifically. After all, there are many unknowns about the power contained within those eyes. They were created by the first Sage to serve a purpose and...well, he was smart enough to consider many possibilities that the eyes would need to defend against" says Madara.

"You speak as if you actually knew him, lord Madara" says Nagato, knowing that should be impossible.

Madara doesn't respond, making Konan look at him and ask "Sir, may I ask you..."

Before she can finish, Zetsu appears rising from the ground next to Madara. Once he was fully up, he leans in and whispers something into Madara's ears. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing at all. Zetsu has just informed me that Hinata will be loyal now without question."

"How do you know this?" asked Nagato.

"Just a feeling..." was the reply. _'Well, a lot of feelings that I will make her feel to guide her onto the proper path' _he mentally adds before placing his right hand over his left wrist, which wore an identical bracelet as the one Hinata was wearing, making a subconscious connection with her mind.

**(battlefield)**

_'Those clothes...' _thinks Han, looking at the new arrival. "Girl, you are with the Order of Ama. Tell me, why are you here, aiding these men?"

"Do I need a reason?" asked Hinata, her voice strangely cold. "We exist to destroy demons, including Jinchuriki so I'm just doing my job." In some part of her mind, she wondered why she was so angry, so hate driven. But something was compelling her forward in this feeling.

Han didn't like what he was hearing. There was something in her voice, with her words, that felt wrong. It was as if she was being controlled. Had the Order been compromised? Is that why Tenten had been expelled? Because she was to strong willed to be controlled like this?

"Tell me, where is Tenten?" asked Han.

From the bracelet, a command came, making Hinata feel a cold fire begin to burn within her being. She clenched her fist as she looked at Han with spite in her eyes. "You should already know that, demon. After all, you killed her with your own hands."

"Kakuzu, what's going on?" shouts Hidan, still blinded from the steam blast.

"Just shut up" was Kakuzu's reply, watching this scene intently. He was aware that the girl was Hinata, one of their new recruits. And the fact she was here now was so to likely test her ability. He himself had certain reservations about her and this would be a good chance to see her worth in action.

Han was shocked by that accusation, seeing as Ai had told him that Tenten had been cast out of the Order. Had they been lied to here? Would more be coming to join her under this falsehood? "Who told you I killed her?"

"Does it matter? All that matters..." says Hinata, taking a battle stance. "...is your CAPTURE" she screams as she launches herself at Han, who holds both blades in his hands.

Hinata is fast and her strikes are powerful, moving with lightning speed like grace as she spins, bobs, weaves, attacking with furious passion. Han, in turn, finds himself on the defensive, trying his best to avoid injury by blocking her attacks while trying not to cause her harm as he knew she was being manipulated. But her attacks were steadily pushing him back., making him realize he might have to cause some harm in order to stop her.

With the rain coming down, it would weaken his jutsu considerably, but it would insure no permanent harm would be done to the girl. "Fire style; Blaze Bullet jutsu" he says, releasing a small yet incredibly fast ball of fire at Hinata.

Knowing she couldn't dodge fast enough, Hinata breaks into a spin. "Rotation" she says, the flame impacting against it and being sent flying off in another direction. As she stops spinning, Han is coming at her with a slash lashing outwards from his shorter blade.

Hinata is able to pull back enough to avoid being cut, but the slash is close enough to tear the cloth covering her face off. Han's next attack is stopped as he sees her face in full. "Hinata? But...I heard you were dead..."

"I was dead..." she says in response. "Killed by the one I trusted most in the wold. But I was revived, given a second chance to complete the mission these eyes of mine were created for."

Off to the side, Kakuzu had made his way over to Hidan and was patching him up again, annoyed by having to do this again, while keeping his attention on Hinata and Han, now more curious seeing as they appeared to know each other.

_'Killed by the one she trusted most, but was then revived?' _thinks Han, deciding this in and of itself warranted further investigation. "Naruto will be happy to..."

"Naruto?" says Hinata, her voice as cold as ice as the bracelet, under Madara's commands, drove her even further down the dark path. "Don't you dare say his name, demon. For it was Naruto...no, it was the Kyubi within him who killed me."

"What?" shouts Han. It was then he saw it, the glowing light from the bracelet on her left wrist. He knew then that she was indeed being controlled in some way. He needed to save her before it was to late. "Hinata, stop this. You're being controlled. Think about it, this isn't you. Hinata..."

But Hinata didn't hear his words. Instead, she was hearing the words Madara was sending her instead with his mind. _"Actually, it was Kyubi who killed Tenten. I just helped...break her a little before the end."_

Hinata screams in a rage before continuing her attacks, more violent and deadly than before. Off to the side, Kakuzu was actually glad she was on their side as he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of this girl. With one motion, Hinata causes Han's grip on his blades to falter, allowing her to knock them away.

Han knew he had no choice; he would have to hit her with a steam attack, then incapacitate her and take her to where Naruto would be. Hopefully, the elder Mada would be able to help her. But as he goes to raise his arms, he finds his movements becoming slower and sluggish suddenly. Looking at Hinata, he sees her put away her claws before taking up a new battle stance. His eyes then see the glow of chakra upon the ground, forming around the two of them in the form of a yin yang symbol.

"You're within range of my attack, Jinchuriki" says Hinata before running at him. "8 Trigrams, 64 Palm." She then begins to strike out at him, saying various numbers after her strikes and Han feeling these attacks were somehow bypassing his armor and hitting him directly. And then, her attack ends.

She then jumps back and for a second, Han just stands there, wondering what she had just done. And then, his body locks up as he realizes he can no longer feel his chakra and he falls onto his knees, his body feeling as if its being weighed down by many heavy weights.

"And now, to finish this" says Hinata, preparing to make a final strike at his head to knock him out.

Han knew now that he had no choice left but to make a run for it, without getting Hinata. He could still call upon his Jinchuriki power for this and would head to Sanctuary and alert Naruto and elder Mada of this turn of events. To remain her and try to use his power to capture her was to risky, to the both of them.

As Hinata charges forward, Han triggers steam to blast out from all over his armor, emptying the full store of steam while calling upon Gobi's chakra at the same time. Hinata stops and jumps back to Kakuzu as Han in consumed by the steam.

"Be careful, he could be planning anything" says Kakuzu.

Hinata's Byakugan flares to life, allowing her to pierce the cloud of steam. "He's using the steam as a diversion so he can make an escape. We can't let him get away."

"Then go, child. We'll be along momentarily" says Kakuzu, having nearly finished with Hidan.

Hinata nods and gives chase after Han. Now surrounded in a gray and blue covered chakra cloak, Han rushes along the ground, but forced to stop as he reaches the edge of a massive gorge. Below, a fast moving river can be seen. Han prepares to power jump to the other side when Hinata catches up.

"Stop, demon" she shouts, already taking a battle stance.

Han looks back at her and says "Hinata, stop this. Look inside yourself. This isn't you. You are a kind and loving person. Hatred isn't in your nature. Fight it, see the truth. You know Naruto would never..."

Another pulse of darkness from Madara's bracelet pulses through Hinata, making her shout out "SILENCE." She then expands another yin yang seal upon the ground, one that's slightly different than the last.

Though he could still feel some effect of being caught within the seal, Han found his Mazuko Mode wasn't as effected as he was before. Though he knew it would mean hurting her a little, he was being given one last chance to capture her. For her sake and for Naruto's, he had to succeed. And so, he charges at her, aiming to bring her down with one hit.

Hinata is surprised by how fast he can move, but manages to be just slightly faster than him as she dodges his attacks, then makes impact with her own. "8 Trigrams, 2 Palm, 4 Palm, 8 Palm, 16 Palm, 32 Palm, 64 Palm..." She then back flips back, then moves in for the final motion though it causes Han's last attack to strike her in unison. "...8 Trigrams, 128 Palm."

Han's attack blows her back, slamming her into a tree while Hinata's causes his connection with Gobi's power to be cut off along with maintaining the cut off from his regular chakra. As the both cough up blood and collapses onto the ground, they both knew that this was the end of the fight.

For a few moments after, neither move. Then, Han is the first to act as he pulls himself up, back onto his feet. His breath was ragged and knees shaking. Then Hinata groans as she tries to move though recovery is harder for her than Han.

"Good work, Hinata" says Kakuzu as he and Hidan arrive and stand before her. "We'll handle the rest."

"This little brat defeated him?" shouts Hidan, only one eye having recovered from the attack. "What the fek is up with that?"

"It just shows she would make a better partner than you" says Kakuzu, ignoring Hidan's following outburst as he says "It's over, Jinchuriki. Surrender and we will treat you well."

"I doubt that..." says Han, backing right up to the edge of the gorge. Looking over his shoulder, he knew what he had to do, he just hoped he'd survive given his current physical state.

Sensing what he was going to do, Hinata says "...stop..." weakly, but is unable to do anything as Han falls over the edge into the rushing water below. "We have to go after him..." she says, getting back onto her feet.

"Leave that to us" says Kakuzu, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Return and inform Pain of the situation."

"But..." Hinata tries to argue.

"His capture was ours to begin with, so it is our duty to capture him" says Kakuzu.

"Plus, it wouldn't look good if we let a girl show us up" adds Hidan before they took off to find and capture Han.

**(Gedo chamber)**

"Satisfied now, lord Madara?" asked Konan.

"For now..." was the reply.

"So, what now?" asked Nagato.

"Await Hidan and Kakuzu's return with the Jinchuriki. We will then begin the ceremony of sealing, provided they don't fail us in getting him" says Madara. He then turns and walks to the door, then stops and adds "Pain, Konan. Begin making preparations. In one weeks time, you two will be heading to Konoha to force Naruto Uzumaki out of hiding so we can capture him."

"Isn't this a little to soon though?" asked Konan.

"Perhaps. But I think its time Hinata and Naruto came face to face again at last" he says before exiting the room. As he walks down the hall, he smiles beneath his mask and mentally adds _'And I'm curious as to how their reunion will play out, now that I know I can control her very thoughts and feelings.'_

**(Sanctuary)**

Utakata stumbles out of the chamber, being caught by Fuu before he can fall onto the ground. "Easy there, buddy" she says, helping him over to a waiting chair.

"That was a lot harder than I had imagined it would be" he admits.

"But you passed none the less, child. That alone is worthy for praise" says Mada, walking to him and ruffling his bushy hair.

"So, what happens now?" asked Gaara.

"I'll let you two rest for the rest of the day. But tomorrow, the real training begins for you both. So be ready causes the real challenge now begins" says Mada before walking off to the side, to Hanabi. "Come child, we have a little trip ahead of us."

"Huh?" says Hanabi. "Where are we heading?"

"To see Naruto...and to give you both a little test..."

**to be continued...**

**NO Info**

**This will be the last chapter released this year** as I hope to focus on finishing and releasing Fade Away and getting a new Rave Master Naruto out on FF. New Trance Forme chapters will be released in January and will feature the long awaited reunion between Naruto and Hinata in chapter 20. Look forward to it.


	16. 16 A Vision of Wunder Land

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.16: A Vision of Wunder Land**

In a darkened and massive, circular room, the dead silence is broken by the sound of heavy armor clanking against the ground. To either side of this armor was Hidan and Kakuzu. Hidan, despite now having only one eye due to the previous battle, smiled proudly at their capture of the Gobi Jinchuriki while Kakuzu maintained his passive demeanor.

"Mission accomplished" says Hidan, his voice filled with pride.

Konan walks forward, bending down before the armor, running her fingers over it. "We found him beyond a nearby waterfall, washed up upon the banks of a lake; passed out at last" says Kakuzu.

"And you are certain he is inside his armor? He didn't abandon it?" she asked.

"See for yourself" instructs Hidan.

Konan does so as she shifts the position of his head, pulling his straw hat off and pulling the cloth off from around his face, revealing the unconscious man beneath. His breath was weak and shallow, but it still appeared to be him nonetheless.

Konan gets back onto her feet, looks back and nods at the shadows. Then, the figure of God Realm Pain emerges from the darkness followed by Sakuya at his side. "Then we shall begin the sealing ritual at once..."

"Is Hinata not going to be joining us?" asked Kakuzu.

"She has already proved herself in my opinion. Besides, she isn't yet ready to join in this right" says Pain before looking at Sakuya. "...but I believe she is."

"I'm ready" says Sakuya, looking back at Pain.

Pain nods, then makes several hand signs which causes a seal to form behind him and from that seal, the Gedo Mazo arises. Pain, Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Sakuya each take a position upon it's ten fingers, followed by Pain making another hand sign and saying "Gather."

Shadowy silhouettes of the other Akatuski agents; Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori appear as Zetsu physically grows from the last finger to join in as well. Pain eyes them all, then says "We have finally gained our first Jinchuriki and shall now proceed to seal him within the Gedo. Stay focused..."

They all then make a series of hand signs, holding on the last which channels their chakra into the statue via the feet and the fingers. The great statue opens its mouth wide, a light forming into a ball shape within before shooting outwards and encircling Han's body, lifting him into the air. A second aura forms around Han's body, acting like a shield.

"In order to seal him successfully, we'll need to break his Biju chakra's auto defensive nature. Soon, the aura will fail and then his body will be pulled in..." explains Pain as the Gedo's chakra begins attacking the Gobi's protective aura.

All that was needed now was time...

**(Mt. Myoboku)**

Fukasaku studied Naruto closely; his pose and composure, his focus, and his will, then smiles as he says "You're ready, Naruto-boy. Now, lets see you become..."

Naruto sat perfectly still and perched atop the thin wooden plank, perfectly balanced high up on the pin point top of the rock. Hearing Fukasaku, Naruto reaches out and taps into the unparalleled force called nature energy and began to draw it into himself, making sure to maintain absolute control at all times.

From where he was sitting, Fukasaku could feel the energy pulsing through him, melding perfectly with his chakra. If only Jiraiya-boy was here now; there's no doubt he would feel both immense pride and maybe even a little envy and jelousy at Naruto's skill. Well, he'll be back soon so there was still that.

Around Naruto's eyes, the skin began to change; becoming orange as was expected. Naruto then opens his eyes, first revealing an intense glow which fades and reveals his newly empowered eyes. His pupils had become oval shaped as had his iris's which were now yellow in color while his eyeball had turned a deep cobalt blue. Naruto was showing the true mark of mastery and had become a perfect Sage.

"Well done, Naruto-boy. How do you feel?" shouts Fukasaku.

Naruto brings a hand up and looks at it, both front and back, then says "Weird, I feel...different. It's like when I enter Mazuko Mode, stronger and more aware. And yet...I feel calm, at peace. It feels like I'm aware of the whole world around me in a way I've never felt before, not even with Mazuko Mode."

"That's to be expected seeing as you're calling upon the power of nature itself; melding it within you like you have. While in Sage Mode, the Sage chakra will activate your body in many numbers of ways, ways you will learn about soon enough" says Fukasaku.

Naruto smiles as he clenches his fist, saying "I can't wait to find ooooWHOA..." before he could finish, something hard smacks into the bottom side of the wooden plank, making it tilt enough to send Naruto falling off, down into the unforgiving ground. Fukasaku cringes as Naruto impacts hard against several nasty looking pieces of boulders.

"Gamakichi, that was a little cold" says Fukasaku, shaking his head at the young toad.

"What? I just wanted to see how aware he really was" was Gamakichi's reply.

Naruto emerges from the dust made from his impact, huffing mad as he glares at his toad partner. "Why the hell you do that for, Kichi? Don't you realize that could have..." Naruto stops as he suddenly realizes something important. "...didn't even hurt me at all?" he adds in surprised wonder.

Fukasaku hops down to join them and says "One of the many benefits from being filled with Sage chakra; your body becomes a lot tougher than normal. To be honest, I doubt even a sharpen blade would be able to cut you right now...not that I want to test that out mind you."

"Yeah" says Naruto, still in awe by this turn of events. _'Sage Mode, with this power...I might finally be able to avenge you, Hinata. I'll be able to protect Hanabi and everyone else now to.'_

"So, you ready to begin learning our signature Sage fighting art, Naruto-boy?" asked Fukasaku.

Naruto looks at him and nods. "You bet, geezer sensei...wait..."

Fukasaku suddenly sensed it too while Gamakichi looked around and asked "What, is something wrong?"

"Someone's coming..." says Naruto before instinct sends him spending around, only to find his face being smashed hard by a foot that sends him flying back. Reacting quickly, he thrust a hand out to push himself upwards, allowing him to flip back and finally land on his feet and stopping a few feet further back. He was glad he was in Sage Mode as that attack had been strong enough that it would have broken his nose were he not. "Ancient granny?" he says, looking at his attacker.

"So, you've mastered Sage Mode, Naruto. I had a feeling you would" replies Mada, ignoring the shocked looked Hanabi was giving her as was Gamakichi. Fukasaku, on the other hand, just sighed and shook his head. This woman just had to be so direct and difficult with her little test.

"Hanabi too? Just how are you two here?" asked Naruto before something caught his attention.

"Isn't it obvious, Naruto? We're using the guest pass much like Kakashi used when he was here before" explains Mada.

Naruto doesn't reply as he was still lost in what he was feeling. As he looked at Mada, he couldn't help but see it, sense it. Mada; it was like he was view a maelstrom of raging nature energy. It was as if Mada was an entity made entirely from nature energy itself. But how? Was that even possible?

"Naruto?" asked a worried Hanabi, placing her hand against his cheek and snapping him out of his musings.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought there for a moment" says Naruto. He then looks at Hanabi and says "You're stronger than you were when we last saw each other."

"You're the one who's gotten stronger, Naruto. Even I can see that...and feel it too" replies Hanabi.

Naruto nods, then says "What are you guys doing here anyways?"

"I was wondering that myself" says Fukasaku, looking at Mada.

"I thought it was time Naruto and Hanabi took the test. As they will be the ones to stop the second age of darkness, its only natural that they experience it eventually" says Mada.

"Wait, you mean the Sages Test?" asked Fukasaku, getting a nod in reply. "Forgive me for saying this, my lady. But are you crazy? There's no way either of them are ready for that test yet..."

"I know they aren't, Fukasaku. That's not the reason behind my decision" says Mada. After a pause, she says "If they take the test now, they will lose...horribly. But at the same time, it will also give them valuable insight into how much further they'll need to go and what they'll need to achieve in order to succeed in the end."

Fukasaku scratches his chin and says "When you put it that way, that does make much sense. But only the prophet toad, Gamasenin, can actually allow them to take the test. You'll have to convince him to let them do this."

"Not a problem" says Mada. "OK you two, follow us."

Once they were on their way, Naruto ask "So, what's this Sages Test?"

"I was wondering that as well" adds Hanabi.

"It's a little complicated in its explanation, but in a nut shell, the two of you will be facing off in combat with Musashi and Amarillo" says Mada.

"Wait, you mean we're going to be fight the Sage of the Six Paths and his partner?" shouts Naruto.

"But how is that possible? Aren't they both dead?" ask Hanabi.

"Yes...they are. Like I said, this is a little complicated but I'll explain as best I can" says Mada.

Basically, they would be sent into a Casteopa like device called Strateopa that was shaped like a diamond where they would face ghost like echoes of the two individuals. These echoes would have the same powers and abilities as their original selves as well as their thinking and fighting styles. Technically, the goal would be to beat them and thus, prove you would be ready to stop the darkness. But seeing as this was just an experience to help them know what they would need to gain, Naruto and Hanabi just needed to be ready to take a beating and learn as much from that as they could. Naruto also learned about Gaara and Utakata's arrival in Sanctuary and their current training regiment with Fuu and Moegi.

Soon enough, they were standing before Gamasenin, the oldest of all the toads as well as the prophet toad. "My lord, lady Mada has come to speak with you" says Fukasaku.

The aged toad opens his eyes a little and says "Who again?"

Before Fukasaku can speak, Mada steps forward and says "You know who I am, you lazy good for nothing bum. I see you're still as absent minded as you were back when you were still a little toad in training." Fukasaku, of course, was shocked by Mada's lack of tact.

But instead of being offended, Gamasenin smiles as he says "Oh, it's you. It's been so long and you look so different that I didn't recognize you at first. How have you been..."

"Living on" says Mada, interrupting him suddenly. "Sorry for the rush, but let's reminisce later."

_'So, I guess my guess about you is right after all' _thinks Hanabi at Mada stopping Gamasenin before he could address her by name. Ever since Avalon, she had had a growing suspicion about Mada and this instance, in her mind, had more or less confirmed her thoughts.

"I understand. I assume you are here for my blessing to open the Sages Chamber then?" asked Gamasenin.

"I am" was Mada's reply.

"Even though these two are far from ready for the challenge?" he adds.

"As I explained to them, I'm not looking for their victory but for them to know what they need to strive for" says Mada.

"Very well, then" says Gamasenin before clapping his hands together, causing a door to appear before his alter. "I grant you access to the chamber."

"But that's..." says Fukasaku, looking at the design of the double door that had just appeared.

"Indeed..." says Gamasenin. "...a door to the Hallow Mountain of the Kaiju. The Sages Chamber is located there."

Mada steps forward and places her hand upon the door, causing a seal to appear. After a moment, she looks back and says "Naruto, Hanabi, steps forward and place your hands here on the crest." She then moves away to give them room.

The two youths do as instructed, a pulse of Yang chakra passing through them before the doors open wide, revealing an endless sea of white light beyond. "OK, you two. Follow me" says Mada as she enters the light.

Naruto and Hanabi look at each other, then follow suit. Gamakichi starts to follow, but Fukasaku stops him and shakes his head when Kichi looks at him. "We're not permitted to pass beyond the door. Only those chosen by a higher power can know that holy place."

"But how can you be sure they can go there?" asked Gamakichi.

Fukasaku doesn't reply...

The light beyond the door was brighter than the sun and both Naruto and Hanabi were forced to cover their eyes in order to avoid being blinded. "We're here" says Mada, making them open their eyes.

What they saw all around them took their breaths away. First thing to note was that they weren't standing upon the mountain itself, but on a glowing bridge of light the floated a little above it; a bridge that shifted its colors like a rainbow. As for the mountain itself, it was aglow with a mysterious and haunting light. The expanse of flowers they could see all around gave off small balls of light that rose high into the sky, merging with an aurora that was unlike any they had ever seen while in Sanctuary.

"This path we walk shall take us to our destination. Know that stepping off this road onto the mountain itself is strictly forbidden unless the Kaiju themselves permit it" explains Mada as she begins walking forward, with Naruto and Hanabi following suit.

Hanabi then looks up and sees a pillar of golden light rising into the sky from the mountains highest point and ask "Master, what is that?"

Mada looks up and says "I honestly don't know as I have never been permitted to go that far. In fact, Only three people that I'm aware of have ever even been allowed to step foot upon the mountain itself; the three being Musashi, Ako, and then Amarillo after Ako's death. Furthermore, Amarillo was never permitted to ascend to the peek. As far as I know, only Musashi has ever been up there."

After twenty minutes of walking, Naruto and Hanabi's eyes spy a structure formed from the mountain side and that the road they walk led into it. "Is that the Sages Chamber?" asked Naruto.

"Yes" says Mada as they arrive at the entrance and pass between the large double columns that acted as the entrance way. "It is said that upon this mountain exist four chambers, each positioned to precisely align with the four cardinal directions of this world. This here is the east temple and each serves a specific purpose."

Before either could ask Mada what those purposes are, they pass from the large entry room, lined with statues of ancient creatures into a smaller circular room. At its center was a Casteopa; but this one was shaped like a diamond instead of a sphere and had a different glow to it than its spherical siblings.

"So, this is that Strateopa thingy you were talking about before" says Naruto, getting a nod in response. Hanabi looks at Mada and ask "So, are we really gonna be facing Musashi and Amarillo here...I mean their ghost or echos or whatever they are?"

Mada nods and Naruto says "Wait, you mean you were being serious about that? I was honestly hoping you were just cranking our chains there. You do realize we will be killed if we..."

"Calm down, Naruto" says Mada reassuringly. "Recall that I told Gamasenin that it wasn't a victory I was looking for, but I just wish for you two to know what it is you need to strive for in order to stop the second sage of darkness. No matter what happens, you'll be returned here in one piece and unharmed."

"What can we expect?" asked Hanabi.

Mada steps forward and places her hand upon the glowing diamond, making it glow brighter which causes Naruto and Hanabi to be surrounded by light, then the feel themselves being pulled into the Strateopa. "Expect to lose and expect to feel..."

Her words our cut off as the get sucked inside.

A sudden pulse pushes Mada back suddenly, making her blink in surprise. She places her hand upon the diamond again and after a moment, sighs in exasperation.

"Why am I not surprised...this would be something you would arrange, Mavis..."

**(within the Strateopa)**

Naruto and Hanabi blinked in surprise when they saw they were standing inside a city, one that was different than any that could be found on Shumoa. The style, so you readers can identify with, was more in common with medieval Europe; like something out of some fairy tale.

"Um...is this where we're suppose to be having the fight at?" asked Naruto, looking around.

"I was thinking we might find ourselves appearing in a simulation of Avalon or some other ancient city from their time, but this isn't as advanced as I was expecting" admits Hanabi. "Maybe we should look around?"

"Agree...wait..." says Naruto, catching sight of two figures.

Hanabi follows his line of sight and sees what he sees. They were standing on a bridge and below them and to the side was a large park. At the center of the park was an especially large umbrella shaped tree with a pink hair boy resting against it and running towards him was a small blue furred cat. "Could that be the sage?" she asked.

Naruto shrugs, then says "I'll be disappointed if he is. Still, maybe he might know something. Let's go talk to him." The two of them then walk towards a stair way that led down off the bridge into the park.

Down under the tree, the boy sighed as he looked up at the rustling leaves of the tree. "Man, all this down time sure can be boring. I wonder if there's any new mission back at the..."

"NATSU!" comes a familiar voice, making the spiky pinked haired boy look forward.

The owner of the voice was, surprisingly, the blue cat who comes to a stop before the boy named Natsu, huffing and puffing madly. "Hey Happy, something wrong?" he asked.

"Wrong? WRONG? Of course there's something wrong. You ate my afternoon snack, you jerk" shouts Happy.

Natsu cocks his head off to the side and says "I did? Funny, I don't recall" he adds before sitting back and returning to leaf gazing.

"Don't lie, Natsu. You know what I'm talking about. You ate my hippo sized fish I was planning on snacking on today" cries Happy.

Natsu sits up and thinks about it. "A hippo sized fish...OH?" he says, smacking a fist into an open hand as the memory comes back. "I did eat it, didn't I" he says before smiling sadistically. "It was deliciously good, especially after I cooked it up with a little fire" he adds with an almost evil satisfaction.

"You brute, how could you cook it. Everyone knows fish are better served raw" cries Happy before beginning to bawl loudly. "How could you do that to me, Natsu."

"Well, next time don't be putting your food into my fridge then" says Natsu.

"I only did it because mine was to small for the fish" points out Happy.

"Which made it open for claiming. Next time you'll know better" says Natsu before laughing.

"Um...excuse us, but..." says Naruto as he and Hanabi come walking up.

"I hate you, Natsu. I wished we weren't friends" cries Happy.

"Sir, sorry to interrupt, but..." tries Hanabi, looking at Natsu, but doesn't get a response.

"Don't tell me you two are fighting AGAIN?" comes a new, female voice.

Naruto and Hanabi follow Natsu and Happy's gaze and see a girl with short, white hair, wearing a red dress walking towards them, smiling happily at seeing her two favorite boys. "Hey, Lissana" says Natsu as the girl stops and looks at them curiously.

"He ate my fish snack, Lissana. Can you believe the level of his insensitivity towards me?" asked Happy.

"When ever a fish is involved, you claim it as yours" retorts Natsu, getting the two of them to glare at each other.

"Hey, we're talking to you three here" says Naruto, a little more loudly. "What are we, invisible?" he ask Hanabi who simply shrugs.

Lissana sighs as she places her hands on her hips as she closes her eyes and turns her head away. "Geez, Natsu, your the dad, remember." She then opens her eyes and looks at Natsu and winks while saying "So you're suppose to be good to both your wife and son."

"WHAT?" shouts Naruto as his eyes shoot between the three of them. "You mean that cat is...that you guys had a...just what the hell is this place?" Hanabi, for her part, was just lost in the surprise.

"Quite kidding around, Lissana. That was like a billion years ago" shouts Natsu, his cheeks pink from embarrassment born from the memory of their childhood years.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" asked Happy, forgetting all about his fish as he was more curious about this sudden reveal.

"Anyways, were you looking for us, Lissana?" asked Natsu.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you guys if..." Lissana starts to say.

"Hey, enough with the ignoring us bit" says Naruto as he reaches out to grab Natsu's shoulder. "We want to ask you some...HUH?" he says as his hand passes through Natsu's body. "Oh crap, they're ghost."

"Actually, I think we're the ghost here, Naruto" says Hanabi as she tries to touch Happy but finds her hand passing through him as well. "I guess this is why they can't hear us either."

"Well, if this isn't a pickle" says Naruto before, on a suddenly impulse, moves to Lissana and passes his hand through her chest repeatedly. "Kinda fun though."

_KONK_ Hanabi jumps up and smacks the back of his head. "Quit fooling around, you pervert" she says in a strict tone while wondering if Jiraiya was becoming a bad influence on Naruto. As Naruto grabs his head, griping about how that really hurt. Hanabi says "I wonder if this was part of the test or if we fell into some sort of fluke?"

"So, Karin and Haruto want us to join them on a A-ranked Mission, huh? What's the pay?" asked Natsu.

"50 million jemies according to the add" says Lissana.

"So basically 10 for each of us then. Well, that would last us a good while" admits Natsu.

"And buy a lot of fish too" points out Happy.

After another moments thought, Natsu smiles and says "Why not. I was thinking on getting a mission anyways. So, what's the mission about?"

"I'll tell you as we walk back to the guild" says Lissana before the three of them head off.

"_Follow them" _comes a eerie voice from out of nowhere.

"Huh? Who said that?" asked Hanabi, looking around.

Naruto shrugs, then says "Don't know. But we might as well do as it says. Not like we have anything else to do." And so, Naruto and Hanabi follow after Natsu, Lissana, and Happy.

After a bit of walking through the town which gave Naruto and Hanabi a chance to take in more of this weird yet wondrous city, they come to a stop outside a large building with a sign that reads "Grape Vine."

"So is this the guild they were talking about?" wonders Naruto.

Just then, two figures come walking out. The first is a girl with black hair tied back into a short pony tail, wearing a short blue skirt and white/blue sailor top; a dark and sullen expression on her face. The other was a boy with blonde hair identical in color to Naruto's, but straight instead of spiky with a green/gray jacket, black pants, and a white shirt. "Well?" asked the girl.

"We're in" says Lissana, giving the two newcomers a thumbs up.

"Damn right we're in. Man, this mission's got me all fired up" shouts Natsu before looking up and exhaling a stream of fire from his mouth.

"Hey Karin, why did you want us to come along anyways?" asked Happy.

Karin Kurosaki looked at the cat and says "Based on the target and the other details mentioned on the request, I figured we'd have a better chance this way. Between my sword skills, Lissana's Animal Take Over magic, Natsu's Dragon Magic, your wings, we'd have it easier than not."

"And what about Haruto?" asked Happy.

Karin looks at the blonde and says "Namikaze here is useless. I only include him in this as he's my official partner in the guild."

Haruto sighs before saying "Can't you at least call me Haruto, Karin? And how am I useless exactly? I thought I always carried my weight during the missions we take?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know you do. I was just teasing you" says Karin before slapping him hard against his back, making him jerk a little.

_'Sometimes I wonder about that...'_ mentally says Haruto.

As the five-some continue to talk about the mission, Naruto looks at Hanabi and says "They seem to be a tight knit group, not that it helps us with our current...Hanabi?" He suddenly notices her eyes were locked on Haruto; wide with surprise.

"That boy..." she says before looking at Naruto. "Can you see what I see?"

Naruto looks back at Haruto, studies him, then scratches his head from uncertainty. "Well, he kind of reminds me of Hinata in a way; having an air of being a shy person about him. But he's probably a chick magnet too..."

"Not that..." says Hanabi before pointing towards his face. "Look at his eyes, Naruto."

"His eyes?" says Naruto, now looking at Haruto's eyes. "What's so special about his...Byakugan?" It was true, Haruto had the lavender colored irises normally only seen with the Byakugan, including the lack of any notable pupils. "He has the Byakugan? But how? Only you and Hinata have it."

"That's not all, look at his facial features" says Hanabi before pointing out what she has noticed. "His face and hair color are very much like yours, minus the whisker marks. And instead of having spiky hair, it hangs more down and straight. That style along with his eyes are more like..."

"_Yours?"_ comes the unseen voice again. Naruto and Hanabi spin around and find a ghostly girl with long flowing blond hair who appeared to be no older than Hanabi herself standing.

"Who are you? Are you the one responsible for us being here as well as that voice from before?" asked Naruto.

"_Question two and three answers are both yes. And as for who I am? You may call me Mavis if you like. _

"Miss Mavis, what is this place? And that boy, who is he?" asked Hanabi.

"_You are in the misplaced land of Wunder, which was lost in a dimensional rift long ago during the Age of Darkness. You can ask old...Mada about it when you see here again."_

"You know ancient granny?" asked Naruto.

"_Ancient granny, huh? I like that, though you're lucky she hasn't beaten you to a pulp yet for that, given how she was in her younger years and all. Still, I guess she wouldn't hurt you given you are her...well, no need to say now. But about that boy? His name is Haruto Namikaze and I guess he must be the two of you's son."_

Naruto and Hanabi both blush madly as Naruto stammers out "Son? I have a son?" Hanabi, meanwhile, is thinking _'I've born Naruto a son? But we never...I'm not even old enough to...'_

"_Well, not yet you don't, Mr. Naruto. And as for you being the mother, miss Hanabi? I can't say for certain. All I know is that his mother had the Byakugan eyes and that her name starts with an H. Beyond that, I'm afraid I do not know."_

"But how could I have a son? Especially one who looks as old as I am now?" asked Naruto.

"_Because this is the future, Naruto. Sixteen years in the future to be exact."_

"But why are you showing us this?" asked Hanabi.

"_I don't have a reason per say. I just felt like it. Maybe this can be motivation for you to succeed in stopping the coming darkness or he won't ever been born. Now, its time you two to undergo the actual vision trial."_

"Wait, one last thing" says Naruto. "You said this place was in some sort of dimensional rift. How did my...our potential son end up here?"

Mavis smiles as she says _"He was sent here by Hanabi, though I don't know if she's the mother or not. And his purpose here is to help restore Wunder to the real world. But that is his story to tell, not for you to experience. Goodbye...be be ready. Musashi and Amarillo are gonna be evil on you..."_

Before Naruto and Hanabi can say anything more, the world around them fades away and they find themselves standing on empty space. "Mavis?" says Naruto as he and Hanabi look around. But all they can see is never ending emptiness.

And then in a flicker, they appeared; the Sage of the Six Paths and his partner, Amarillo.

They weren't sure why, but Naruto and Hanabi found themselves taking several steps back from the newly arrived figures. Though they were just standing there, their presence alone seemed to cause the very air itself became stiffeling and as heavy as a one ton weight. The two figures begin to walk towards them slowly.

"Naruto..." says Hanabi, fear present in her voice.

Naruto nods; agreeing that this was more intense than he had expected, especially as this was just a face to face without any action yet. "Just stay calm and keep them in your sights. Remember, this is just a te..."

Naruto's words stop dead as Musashi sudden appears before him, the bottom of his staff pressing against Naruto's side. The next second felt like an eternity, and then, and invisible blast slams Naruto, sending him flying back, slamming his repeatedly against the unseen ground.

"NARUTO..." shouts Hanabi, freezing as a shadow comes over her. Mada's training takes over as she instinctively raises her arms up in defense as Amarillo sends a kick out at her, sending her back towards Naruto, who had recovered enough to create two Shadow Clones to catch her before she can impact.

"Damn, they're even tougher than I thought they'd be. Had they put any more power into that attack, we would have been seriously injured" says Naruto, not that they weren't already hurting already.

"I think they took it easy on us there; wanting to gauge us" says Hanabi.

"No choice then. We need to go at them with our best" says Naruto as he enters his meditating position and begins entering Sage Mode; glad he still feel nature energy even in this place. Meanwhile, Hanabi activates her Byakugan and takes up a battle stance as the two clones prepare to defend them.

"Their chakra levels...I've never seen so much from anyone before" says an amazed Hanabi.

Naruto opens his sage eyes as he stands and says "It's to be expected, given who they are or who they're meant to represent...wait" Naruto's Sage sense suddenly picks something unexpected up from Amarillo.

"What is it, Naruto?" asked Hanabi.

"It's Amarillo's chakra. I knew she had sage chakra constantly flowing through her according to ancient granny had said about her. But this feeling...it's exactly like..."

**(Gedo Chamber)**

The gathered S-class watched as the last of Gobi's defensive aura finally yielded, allowing the wave of dark chakra reaching out from the Gedo Mazo to finally begin seeping into Han's armor. This causes the body to shake as a deep, booming roar erupts from the Gedo's frame; its mouth opening wider as the chakra flow accelerates. And then, a pulse followed by a reverse in the chakra's flow, pulling with it the chakra of Gobi into itself, swallowing it whole till there was nothing left.

The job complete, the Gedo closes its mouth as one of its eyes open; the armor of Han falling upon the ground, scattering do to being now empty of any physical body. "The task is done. Go now and rest before continuing your individual missions" orders Pain, getting a nod from the others before fading out, save for Hidan, Kakuzu, and Zetsu.

"Konan, what happened to the Jinchuriki's body?" asked Sakuya, standing over the empty armor.

"Within the Gedo, along with the Gobi's power. Acting like a battery is the best way to describe it" was Konan's reply.

Zetsu walks up to Pain and says "I'll go inform him now. Make sure you properly prepare for your mission." Pain nods, followed by Zetsu sinking into the ground.

"Who's "Him"?" asked Sakuya.

Pain looks at her and says "You'll meet him soon enough..."

**(outside, within an Ame alley way)**

The two Konoha nin, disguised as travelers from abroad, stood before the hooded man; the woman asking "Are you the one who sent this to us?" She holds up the letter dropped onto them by a bird.

"Yes, sorry for the trouble, but I needed to speak with you" said the hooded man.

"First tell us who you are" asked the male next to the woman.

"My name is Haidama. I once served lord Hanzo's honor guard before this Pain guy took over" says the hooded man before bowing and saying "Sorry I can't show my face, but Pain's spies are everywhere and I can't risk the resistance here in Ame..."

"So there is a resistance" says the woman. "Please, take us to your leaders. We wish to help restore Ame to a proper rule."

"There's no time, I'm afraid. Your village in in terrible danger" says the hooded man.

"In danger? What do you mean?" asked the male.

"We've learned that Pain will be going to your village; planning to capture your Jinchuriki if possible. This will all happen within a weeks time. I also believe the other villages are being targeted too. This action is happening now because we hear the Akatsuki have captured a Jinchuriki."

"Does he know where Konoha is?" asked the woman.

"I believe he does. He has ties with a man from your village after all. I believe his name is Orochimaru" says the hooded man, making the two Konoha ninja go pale. "Please, you must hurry lest he makes his move sooner over later. And warn your allies from the other villages as well."

The woman nods and says "Thanks" before she and her male counterpart turn and head off.

"That's not like you; actually giving an advance warning" comes the voice of Black Zetsu as Zetsu rises from the ground behind the man. "I recall you being more serious and direct, not wanting to waste time or effort on anything needless."

The hooded figure turns back to look at Zetsu, the spiral mask now present behind the hood. "I'm just taking the advice my little brother gave me long ago to heart. Just sit back and have some fun. Besides, I'm curious about how things will go down now that Konoha has an advance warning."

"Do you think Naruto will really be there when the attack happens?" asked White Zetsu.

Tobi shakes his head and says "Unlikely. If we're lucky, he'll show up or we may learn of his location. And if not, he'll learn of what happened soon there after and will come after us. After all, he's nothing if not predictable. Putting that matter aside for now, how did Han's sealing go? Did anyone notice?"

"I believe Itachi may have noticed. In fact, I'll be disappointed in him if he didn't. The rest is a no from what I can tell" says Black Zetsu.

Tobi chuckles before saying "Han managed to ditch his armor and then created a chakra clone fueled by a massive amount of Gobi's own chakra. He then placed the clone within the armor to act as a distraction while he makes his escape. If my guess is right, that clone will last for two or three weeks before it expires and the rest realize their oversight."

"I wonder why Pain didn't notice with his Rinnegan?" ponders White Zetsu aloud.

"It's because his eyes aren't his by right, but the sage's eyes transplanted into him. As a result, he does not have the gift to use those eyes to their fullest extent" says Black Zetsu.

"To be fair, Nagato can access quite a bit of the power contained within those eyes; more than most. But still not fully enough it would seem" says Tobi.

"But master, why are you doing this in such a round about way? Why risk so much after all you have given and spent for this plan?" asked White Zetsu.

Tobi looks into the sky and says "We have been working at this plan...for a long time. But before that plan can be realized, several things must be done. That vessel must be completed, Kyubi's chakra must be made whole again, and..."

"I'll have to finally face...her again..."

**(Han)**

_'It looks like my ruse worked' _thinks Han as he limps forward. He had used up most of Gobi's chakra to make the clone and though it would recharge in time, it was currently to low to even help heal him. Falling against a tree, Han takes a moment to breath in before pushing off and continuing his walk.

He needed rest, he knew that. But he also needed to get to Sanctuary as soon as possible. He needed to alert Naruto of Hinata's still being alive. And he needed to find Mae/Tenten as well.

"I must...keep going...I must...I must..."

**(Naruto and Hanabi)**

Naruto coughed violently, blood gushing from the whole in his stomach and from the stump that had once been his right arm. To his side lay Hanabi, pale skinned and unmoving; likely dead or near dead from her own wounds. Naruto strains as he looks up into the sky and sees Musashi hovering overhead, a massive spear shaped swelling of energy forming along his outstretched hand. Next to him was Amarillo, a ball of energy that looked similar to the Rasengan forming in her own hand.

Despite the situation, Naruto can't help but smile though. "Man, you guys really are...to much. We...had no chance at all..."

His words are cut off as the energy spear is thrown while a beam of energy shoots from the ball, both heading towards Naruto and Hanabi, enveloping them both in light...

**to be continued...**

**AN: **Next chapter will begin the "**Through the Forest Burning**" arc which will be this series version of the Pain arc from the manga. Several important things will happen in this arc; the most important being the long awaited NaruHina reunion. Get ready for your wait is finally over...almost.

As for the Wunder part of the story, it came from an idea I had for a potential fourth chapter in the Naruto Invoke storyline; this one focused on Naruto and Hinata's son, Haruto. Yes, I said Naruto and Hinata, NOT Naruto and Hanabi despite the latter two's understandable assumption that Haruto is there's (given they are still unaware of Hinata's status). And I wanted to see how you all felt about it and if you'd like to see it become it's own story once the Naruto Invoke series has finished. The story is as Mavis explained, Haruto is sent to Wunder to discover why it's trapped within this rift and find a way to return it to the real world while dealing with the usual problems that comes with life, love, and weird dreams of his friends dying and trying to save them. There's also an element of time travel...of a sort in it to, but all connected to Wunder itself and not the outside world.

Let me know if you want to read about Haruto's adventures in your reviews.


	17. 17 Through the Forest Burning 1

The sound of a door sliding open rang out in the pitch black room, followed by a column of light filtering down from the rooms center, illuminating the black piano there. The figure of a young man then came into the light, taking a seat upon the stool next to the piano. He then lifted the covering up to reveal the keys beneath, which he then tested to make sure the piano was properly tuned.

Footsteps rang out followed by another figure, this one a girl with short blue hair and red eyes wearing a lavender colored dressed coming into the light, walking over to the boy who was wearing cream covered cloak and tunic. She came to a stop behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders and rested her head atop his gray spiky haired head.

The boy's fingers then begin to dance across the ivory keys, his work producing a beautiful melody from the piano as he tilted his head up to look the girl in the eyes; smiling, which she responded by kissing his forehead before beginning her song.

"**Everybody finds love, in the end."**

She then broke away from the boy and begin to walk along and around the piano in a counterclockwise fashion; tracing her index finger along the edge as she does so while continuing her song.

"**I never did tell you everything.**

**I can't believe I won't see you again.**

**I never did tell you everything.**

**I'll never get to tell you everything.**

**Watching the cherry blossoms fall**

**In the wind casting shadows,"**

She finishes coming full circle around the piano and takes an opportunity to sit down next to the boy and joins him in playing the piano.

"**The trees could only watch the loss**

**Of their beauty, powerless**

**No matter what or how scared I am**

**I can't look away ever again"**

She then stops her playing as she looks at the boy sitting next to her with a blush on her cheeks and love filling her eyes.

"**When I slow down and time stops for me**

**I'll finally find you and where I should be."**

"You really are amazing, Ako" says the boy.

Ako blushes even more as she looks away for a moment before looking back into the boy's white/lavender colored eyes.

"You too, Musashi..." was her reply and then, the dream ends...or was it a memory?

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.17: Through the Forest Burning 1**

Everything was happening so fast, much to fast, for Naruto's mind to comprehend. He could feel the pain from his lost arm and the spilling of his blood upon the ground. Seeing Hanabi fall as she ran to him and hearing his voice cry out in sorrow and rage. And then came their final attack and it was over.

Then there was darkness, nothing but darkness and the sound of his own voice, screaming out Hanabi's name. "Hanabi...Hanabi..."

"HANABI" he shouts as the darkness is suddenly replaced by the image of a ceiling. Realizing that he was laying on his back, he shoots quickly up into a sitting position, looking around frantically, and finding the younger girl laying a few feet away. Wasting no time, he quickly crawls over to her, places a hand under her neck and shoulders and lifts her up, giving her a few strong shakes which causes her to finally stir.

"...um...Naruto?" she says weakly as her eyes slowly open.

"Hanabi..." sniffs Naruto before wrapping her in a tight hug, catching the girl by surprise and fully waking her. "I...I thought I had lost you too..." says Naruto, which makes Hanabi blush before she hugs him back and nuzzles his shoulder, saying "And I thought I was going to lose you too."

A clicking sound catches their attention and they turn to see Mada holding a camera as she had just taken a picture of them. "What a Kodak moment" she jokes before pulling the camera away and adds "This will make for good conversation material back home."

"Ancient granny? But when..." Naruto starts to say, but Mada cuts him off by saying "Don't tell me you both forgot? I said that the test, though it will seem real, is really not. It's just an illusion meant to show you what you'll be needing to strive for with your future training. You both did forget, huh?"

Naruto and Hanabi turn red from embarrassment as they pull away from one another, then look away from Mada with sheepish expressions on their faces. "I thought so, not that I don't blame you. After all, as real as it felt, it would have been hard for anyone to keep the illusion part in mind."

"Might have been easier if you had given us a better warning on those two" mumbles Naruto, huffing.

"Maybe, but easy wasn't the point now was it?" retorts Mada, making Naruto fume at her, though Hanabi places a hand on his shoulder and says "Now, now, it's over and we did learn a lot from that so let's just move on to whatever is next for us."

Naruto, after a moment, sighs and says "Fine, but only because its you who's asking." Naruto and Hanabi then get back on their feet.

"Before we depart, a question" says Mada, getting their attention on her. "During your time within the Strateopa, did anything...unusual happen? After you both went in, I touched the crystal and felt a weird energy within it that wasn't suppose to be there."

"Yeah, you could say something unusual happened" says Naruto as he and Hanabi tell Mada about Wunder, Mavis, and their potential future son, Haruto.

"Mavis? Now that's a name I haven't thought of in a long, long time" says Mada as she turns to side and adds "a long time" in a quieter tone.

"So, does that mean you know her, master?" asked Hanabi.

"Well, of course I know her. She's ME" says Mada.

"WHAT!" shouts Naruto.

"Got you" jokes Mada before laughing a bit. "Honestly though, Mavis is a member of Musashi's team of world saving heroes back in the day. Well, she wasn't a FULL member, but she still helped out when we needed her. Her skills as a strategist were unparalleled on the battlefield, hence she was know as the Fairy Strategist."

"Where's the fairy part come in?" asked Naruto.

"Mavis suffered from a disease that locked her body growth so she'd always look nine years old. Not that she minded that I think. Due to this and a combination of her looks and choice in clothing, she was always called Fairy back in our academy days. To be honest, I think she's the one who came up with it" says Mada.

"Master, what do you think all that was about? And how did Wunder get stuck in some dimensional rift?" asked Hanabi.

Mada ponders this for a moment, then says "Haven't a clue. I'm surprised she was able to even be here in this place and do what she did. I guess it's a sign of how strong she's become herself. The last time I saw her was way back when, when I was still young myself. Wunder was her home and she wanted to find it. I, like many others, thought Wunder had been destroyed during the Makai incident. Had I known it was still out there, I would have tried to do something myself. Guess I should have believed her back then."

"What about this situation with Haruto?" asked Naruto.

"Well, I would say congrats you two, except this event with Haruto coming in sixteen years means Hanabi would be giving birth to him at age twelve, which is way to young for her. All we can do is just wait and see what happens. The rest will reveal itself in time. Now then, ready to leave? After all, you both still got plenty of training left to undergo" says Mada as she starts for the entrance.

"Actually, there is one other matter we should speak on now" says Naruto, who then looks at Hanabi and gets a nod of agreement from her.

Mada stops and looks back at them. "What is it?" she asked.

Naruto and Hanabi look at one another, then nod followed by them looking back at Mada and Naruto asking " Ancient Granny..."

**(Oto – Sasuke's private dojo)**

Burst of purple lighting illuminated the otherwise pitch black room as Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life. From the corner of his eyes, he sees movement and is quick to launch himself at the shadowy figure, cutting deep into his chest with his Chidori.

Sasuke smiled as the maniquin crumbles from the impact. Under the cover of darkness and moving around fast, it had still fallen to Sasuke's growing ability. A snap sound is heard and Sasuke knows this means the second maniquin had been released, this one made to launch long range projectiles at him to keep him at a distance.

Spotting it, Sasuke runs towards it, but quickly backpedals as it starts spewing both fire and lighting from its body. Admiring Kabuto's creation for a moment, Sasuke becomes serious as he unsheathes his Susana and channels the Chidori into it, causing the blade to hum and resonate as it electrifies. Two large shuriken are launched at him, making Sasuke leap and glide through between them in a spin while making the lightning blade extend outwards to slice the maniquin in half, ending the attacks.

As Sasuke lands and sheaths his blade, his is suddenly surround by maniquin, all building up to release various elemental attacks against him. Scoffing at this, Sasuke claps the ground with an open hand, releasing his Chidori Stream outwards and nuking all the maniquin and ending this exercise.

"Perfect..." he says, feeling rather pleased with himself. He wished Kakashi was here as he couldn't help but wonder how his brief time mentor would react to seeing how Sasuke had taken his best jutsu and evolved it? Well, maybe when this secret information gathering mission was over, he could...

Clapping draws Sasuke from his thoughts and he turns to see Kimimaro approaching him. "Impressive; every bit the sharpened blade lord Orochimaru knew you'd become."

"Do you need something, Kimimaro? Or do you just enjoy stalking others when they're doing personal work?" asked Sasuke, sounding annoyed which, in truth, he kind of was.

"Something, yes. Lord Orochimaru believes the time has come for you to awaken to the second stage of the curse seals power. I was sent to see if you were" says Kimimaro.

"Have I shown that much promise there?" inquired Sasuke. "We haven't spent all that much time training me within that state yet."

"You have shown great potential and lord Orochimaru has faith in you; believes you are ready. And besides; being the bearer of the heaven's curse mark makes him curious as to how it's second stage form would manifest on someone. But the decision is, of course, yours alone to make."

This was a bit of a pickle in Sasuke's mind. He could say no and leave it at that. But what if that brought up question's about his being here and lead Orochimaru and his men to learn of Sasuke's true purpose? But if he accepted, would he be mentally strong enough to maintain himself and his loyalty to Konoha or would he be corrupted again, just like at the Final Valley?

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" asked Kimimaro, giving Sasuke a curious look. "I would have thought you'd jump at the chance for this higher power. Especially when it could help you defeat Itachi."

_'Damn'_ thinks Sasuke. He just had to go say that, didn't he. Now there was no way he could refuse. "Alright, so long as this second stage doesn't turn me into some mindless monster."

"I assure you that won't be an issue" says Kimimaro as he turns and leaves the room with Sasuke following him. As they walk down the hall, he adds "You don't like me much, do you Sasuke?"

"No offense, but I try to avoid making bonds of any sort with other people. And I shall continue this policy until my brother breaths his last" says Sasuke, allowing a moment to pass before adding "that way, I won't have to suffer the loss of any other precious people" to himself.

This wasn't true of course, given his feelings for Konoha and for one pinked haired medical ninja in particular. But no one needed to know this. Soon, they arrived at their destination and waste no time entering the room which had a pool filled with a purple liquid at its center.

"I don't see Orochimaru or even Kabuto here? Not even those four" notes Sasuke, looking around.

"The four are on guard duty. Lord Kabuto is doing some data work on Ouroboros. And lord Orochimaru himself is discussing things with the Order of the White Snake. Besides, all you need for this is me anyways" says Kimimaro.

"The Order of the White Snake and Ouroboros; just what do these two entities have to do with Orochimaru anyways?" asked Sasuke.

"When lord Orochimaru deems it necessary, he will tell you himself" was Kimimaro's reply.

Sasuke figured he'd be told that, seeing as it was just that bit of information alone he was still needing before he could end this mission. "So, what do I have to do?"

"Just enter the waters and submerge yourself within them. You'll enter a meditation like sleep as the liquids empower the curse mark and allow for greater power within to be tapped. When finished, you will rise, reborn" says Kimimaro.

Sasuke looks at him, then at the water and ask "Will it take long?"

"That depends on you" was the reply.

Sasuke sighs before stripping, then stepping into the waters. Once he's at the center of the pool, he takes one final calming breath before letting himself sink downwards and from consciousness.

**(Mt. Myoboku)**

Passing through the archway of light, the three find themselves once again in the chambers of Gamasenin, oldest of the toad tribe. "I trust everything went well?" asked the prophet.

Mada looks up at him and says "As expected."

"Say, where's geezer sage and Gamakichi at?" asked Naruto.

"They had others things to do so they headed off" comes a voice from his side, making Naruto to see Jiraiya leaning against the wall. "Luckily, I got back just in time to stand in for them both."

"Pervy Sage, when did you get back?" asked Naruto.

"Around the time you were heading off to the Sages Temple if my guess is correct" replied Jiraiya before walking forward. "So, did fighting the sage teach you anything?"

"This and that. If nothing else, I know I still have a long way to go to be at their level" says Naruto before grinning and saying "You know, Pervy Sage, you should give it a shot. After all, Amarillo is pretty hot and she can give you some ideas...while she's beating you to an inch of your life."

"I agree with Naruto" says Hanabi.

Jiraiya chuckles nervously and says "Yeah, maybe next time...Anyways, are you ready to begin the last stage of your training here?"

Naruto gets a determined look on his face and says "Yeah, more than ever now."

"Well then, I guess we'll take our leave then" says Mada. "I'm assuming Naruto's going to be learning Frog Kumite now, Jiraiya?"

"That's what boss Fukasaku has planned. What about you, great elder?" asked Jiraiya.

"I plan on moving young Hanabi here on to the most advanced of my training" says Mada before looking at Hanabi and asking "Assuming, of course, you are feeling up for it?"

"I am, master. After today, I can't strive for anything less now" says Hanabi.

"Good luck, Hanabi" says Naruto, pumping his right fist.

Hanabi mimics him and says "You too, Naruto."

"I like the looks in their eyes..." says Gamasenin, getting their attentions. "The fire within them has become so strong and bright; it's encouraging."

Mada smiles and says "Indeed it is, indeed it is. And for what's coming next for them, it will be of great benefit."

"And what comes next?" asked Jiraiya.

"Team training together, of course" says Mada. "Once Naruto has finished here, he will return to Sanctuary and I'll be having them both start training together to improve their teamwork so that they'll be on par with Musashi and Amarillo."

"But what of Hanabi's solo training under you? What if she hasn't finished it yet? And then there's Naruto's Jinchuriki training too? Doesn't he still have a ways to go there?" asked Jiraiya.

Mada is silent for a moment as Naruto and Hanabi look at her. "As far as Naruto in concerned, he still has a little over a year to master Kyubi's yang chakra and Fuu can help him in that area. I only have one real role to play and that's preparing the seal to make retaking the yin chakra easier. That...is easily done. As for Hanabi? There is only so much that can be taught before it comes time for personal experience. She has already come far in my opinion and soon, she'll be ready to move forward without me."

Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a hint of sadness coming from Mada as she said that final line. But he understood the source of that sadness though as all teachers eventually had to let go of their students to let them find their own way. And yet, something told him that Mada's reasons for this were more pressing than she was wanting to let on.

"In any event, it is time we depart" says Mada as she places a hand on the Myoboku guest pass. Hanabi does the same as Naruto says "See you guys soon."

"Good luck, Naruto" shouts Hanabi as she pulls her pass free and disappears. Mada nods at him before doing the same.

"So, ready to begin?" asked Jiraiya.

"Do you really need to ask?" was Naruto's reply.

Jiraiya ruffles his hair as the two turn and exit Gamasenin's place; heading out to join Fukasaku and Shima. "So, what did happen during the trial, Naruto?"

"Well..." says Naruto before telling Jiraiya all about Wunder and the fight.

**(Sanctuary)**

"Ah, home sweet home" says Mada as she and Hanabi rematerialized within the crystal forest.

Hanabi looks around and sees the place empty. "Are Fuu and the others training?"

Mada closes her eyes and reaches out with her senses. "Strange, I don't sense them here or even within a Casteopa. I guess they must have gone grocery shopping seeing as we were running low when we left if memory serves."

"Should we join them?" asked Hanabi.

Mada shakes her head and says "No need as I'm sure they'll be back soon enough. Besides, if they were here then Fuu at least would want to know what happened and Moegi would want to know about Naruto. Utakata and Gaara would also be curious. No, I think us being alone now is for the best seeing what it is I need to train you on now."

"Master, about what you told us earlier..." Hanabi starts to say, but Mada cuts her off.

"For now, keep it to yourself, OK. Now come, the real work begins now." Mada then leads Hanabi down into the Casteopa chamber so they could begin the advanced training.

**(Myoboku)**

"I can't believe it" says an astonished Jiraiya. "You, a father? And so soon too? And Hanabi is gonna be the mother to boot? Boy, I really have corrupted you."

Naruto blushes from embarrassment, wishing he had kept that detail to himself. "We can't know that for sure, Pervy Sage. Ancient granny did say nothing is certain. Time from Mavis's perspective could be different than our own. Besides, I'm trying not to think about it to much now to be honest."

"Thinking about what?" asked Fukasaku as he and Shima come hopping in.

"You're not gonna believe this boss, ma'am, our little Naruto here's gonna knock Hanabi up in two years" says Jiraiya, getting both toads to blush.

"Shaddup, ya old perv. We don't know that for sure" shouts Naruto. He then tells the two toad elders about what happened within the Strateopa.

"Boy, seems like some sort of confusion" says Shima.

"Indeed, ma. But we'll deal with that for later. Right now, we really should begin Naruto's combat training" says Fukasaku.

"And on that note, it's time to show me your Sage Mode, Naruto" says Jiraiya.

Naruto smacks his fist together, then says "Got it" before sitting down on the ground and drawing in the nature energy. To the side, Jiraiya watches in amazement as Naruto's features shift, signaling his change while Fukasaku and Shima look at Jiraiya and can't help but notice his jealousy.

"Makes you want to get back to your own training doesn't it, Jiraiya-boya" ask Shima.

"Uh...I think I'm a little to old to be training now" says Jiraiya nervously. As Naruto opens his eyes, Jiraiya then smiles and adds "Besides, its obvious I'll never be as good as he is."

Naruto gets on his feet and ask "So, how do I look, pervy sage?"

"Like a Sage, Naruto" chuckles Jiraiya. "Like a sage. So, you ready to learn some Frog-Fu?"

"Oh yeah...wait, Frog-Fu?" asked Naruto.

"That's what Jiraiya-boy calls our Frog Kumite, Naruto" explains Fukasaku.

"Oh, OK. So, how will I be training then?" asked Naruto.

"Simple..." says Jiraiya as Fukasaku and Shima hop up onto his shoulders. "I'll enter Sage Mode now as well and we'll have sparring sessions with one another and you'll learn Frog-Fu the old fashion way."

"And why geezer sage and granny Shima hopping onto your shoulders?" asked Naruto.

"Because...heh heh, I can't do Sage Mode on my own. I can only do it when they are linked with me" says Jiraiya, chuckling nervously.

Naruto sighs, then says "Boy, aren't you a pathetic sensei, pervy sage. I wonder who should be training who here?"

"SHADDUP" shouts Jiraiya while both Fukasaku and Shima burst out laughing. "That goes for you two too. Now, lets do this." Jiraiya then claps his hands together and the twin toad sages do the same. Naruto, meanwhile, takes up a battle stance and prepares for the forthcoming fight.

**(Sasuke)**

How long had it been was the thought going through Kimimaro's mind as he leaned back, eyes closed, against the wall as the light given off by the pool illuminated the room in an eerie light. Hours, possibly even days? Here within the underworld that was Oto, one could never really be to sure.

The sound of a bubble plopping in the water caught his attention and he opened his eyes as more bubbles began to appear on the surface. Then the liquid began to stir and appear to boil as it churned and thrashed violently about. Kimimaro takes a step forward, then the pool explodes, forcing him to cover his eyes as an intense light fills the room and drenches everything in a rain of the liquid.

Though his eyes were squinted and seeing was difficult, Kimimaro was nevertheless able to make out a human form rising up from a laying position to stand tall with what appeared to be large hands growing from his back. "Sasuke?" he says as the light finally fades and he could see normally again.

By the time his vision had cleared, Sasuke had gone back to looking normal, his back to Kimimaro. But the intense glow coming from the seal on Sasuke's neck was more than enough proof that the enhancement to the second stage had been successful.

Kimimaro then steps forward towards Sasuke and places a hand on him, asking "Sasuke, how do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?"

For a second, there is no reply or any action on Sasuke's part to indicate he was hearing anything. Was he unconscious perhaps? That had happened to Tayuya after her awakening so it wasn't impossible. But then, Kimimaro hears a low laugh the quickly grows louder coming from Sasuke.

"This power..." says Sasuke, turning to look Kimimaro in the eye and the latter finding himself backing away on impulse. "...is amazing." Kimimaro could see it in Sasuke's eyes; something was different, something had changed. It was a look not unlike that of lord Orochimaru himself.

_'Well, lord Orochimaru does infuse a bit of his own essence into each curse mark he gives...' _thinks Kimimaro.

Sasuke turns away and clenches his right fist. "I can feel it, the gap between me and you is becoming shorter, brother. Soon, I will be strong enough to ARGH..." Sasuke suddenly cries out in pain as he collapses to his knees, a hand pressed hard against his right forehead.

Kimimaro quickly moves to his side and places a hand on his back, asking "Sasuke, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I think so. But...what's happening to me?" asked Sasuke through labored breaths.

"Side effect of awakening the second stage I would guess. Same thing happened to me because I have the earth curse seal. Sorry Sasuke, I should have realized it would happen with you as you bare the heaven's curse seal and both heaven and earth are of a higher tier of seal granted me lord Orochimaru" says Kimimaro.

"Don't worry about" huffs out Sasuke as the pain begins to fade. "This pain is nothing...compared to what I've already suffered." After a few more minutes, Sasuke is able to stand again and he wipes the sweat from his brow. "I'm alright now. So, what happens now?"

"Now you return to your chambers and rest for a few says. No arguments; trust me as one with personal experience in these matters. Once your at one hundred percent, you'll be facing the 4 in combat with your stage 2 curse against theirs. And when the times ready, you'll learn the true secret behind this power" says Kimimaro.

"The true secret?" wonders Sasuke, but Kimimaro doesn't go into detail. Instead he leaves Sasuke alone who, after a few moments, walks out of the room himself and heads back to his room to rest. But as he walks, he thinks back to the feeling he had when he first came to.

"Maybe this...wasn't such a good idea after all" he says to himself, now doubting his ability to remain himself and remain loyal to Konoha.

**(Sanctuary-night before the attack)**

Mada was once again sitting out in the center of the frozen, crystal like forest, looking up at the aurora that shown brightly in the sky. "So beautiful..." she says, sadness filling her tone. "And to think this may very well be the last time I..."

"Last time for what, master?" asked Hanabi, catching Mada off guard and even making her jump a little.

"Goodness dear, don't scare me like that" says Mada, placing a hand over her heart. "At my age, it's not good on the old heart" she then joked.

"That coming from one who told me she was always aware of everything that went on here" retorts Hanabi as she sits next to the aged sage. "But I guess you must have been really deep in thought to not have noticed me coming." After a few moments of quiet, Hanabi ask "Master, what did you mean by the last time?"

Mada sighs and says "I don't know, to be honest. I still have a lot of work left in me to do, like training you and Naruto in teamwork. And yet, I can't help but feel my age as well as being made to realize that my time will soon be at an end."

"Master, are you...going to leave us?" asked Hanabi, her eyes watering a little.

Mada reaches out and places her hand on Hanabi's shoulders, pulling her closer for a half hug of comfort, then says "Little one, death is something we must all face in life. There is no escaping it, only delaying it. And to be honest, I have delayed my own death far more than one has any right to."

"Oh..." says Hanabi, not really sure what to say.

But Mada then gives her an encouraging smile and says "But chin up, my dear. I don't plan on croaking yet. There's still a few things left I must do. But there is one truth I must admit to you and that is I know in my heart when the day comes when you and Naruto will have to put your training to the test, I won't be there to lend my support. Well, not physically anyways."

After a moments quite, Mada stands and says "Tomorrow, I will be leaving early to take care of some business. I will be going alone and will be gone for about a week. While I'm gone, you'll be in charge here..."

"Me, in charge? But am I ready for that?" asked Hanabi.

"Only one way to find out" says Mada. "I have faith you'll do fine. Anyways, when I get back, I will give you my final lesson that you need me to teach you and after that and once Naruto has returned, we shall began the team training."

"And what if Naruto returns before you?" asked Hanabi.

"You'll be in charge so you will be the one to decide that, little one" says Mada.

Hanabi gulps a little, then says "I...understand, master. If you don't mind me asking though, just where are you going anyways?"

Mada is quiet for a second, then says "To pick up a few needed things for something important we'll need to do here soon. And when the time comes, you'll know what that something is..."

**(Mt. Myoboku)**

"Talk about burning the midnight oil, right Naruto?" asked Jiraiya as he and Naruto approached the hut that was acting as their temp home on Mt. Myoboku.

Naruto, who was drinking down a bottle of water and had a damp towel hanging round his neck looks at Jiraiya and replies "I can't believe how late it is. I guess intense training really can cause one to lose track of time."

"Indeed, and that is something to watch out for in the future should you ever settle down and get married" says Jiraiya.

Naruto smiles as he says "Speaking from experience now, are we?"

Jiraiya blushes a little, then says "Well, I guess you could say that, though me and Shizune aren't legally wed yet. We decided to wait till after the baby is born before we tie the knot so she's be able to fit into a proper wedding kimono."

Naruto laughs and says "Pervy Sage, husband and father. Never would have seen either coming back when we first met or went to Antana together with Kiba and Akamaru...that feels like a life time ago."

"I can agree with you on both points" says Jiraiya, stopping and taking a seat on a small bench outside the hut. Naruto sits down next to him and ask "So, what should we have for dinner...or, maybe I should say a midnight snack?"

"Lady Shima is making us something and she'll bring it over once she's done. By the way, that little surprise you whipped out during training today took us completely off guard. I never even considered combining Frog-Fu and Wind Style: Swift Sprint together. That little number can sure be useful if used correctly in battle" says Jiraiya.

Naruto grinned as he said "I aim to please. And besides, you haven't seen nothing yet. Wait till tomorrow, I'll have something even more amazing to show you."

Jiraiya reaches up and ruffles his hair, saying "I can't wait, kid." After a few moments of silence, Jiraiya ask "Naruto, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Hm? What is it, pervy sage?" asked Naruto.

"Well, as you know, I'm your godfather and all. And, well, Shizune and I talked about it and...I was wondering if you'd like to be godfather to my child when he or she is born in two weeks?" asked Jiraiya.

"You serious?" asked Naruto, getting a nod in response. "Yeah, OK. I'm honored you choose me and I accept."

"Just so you know, Naruto. Being a godfather isn't easy. You will have certain obligations to follow; obligations I would have followed had I know about what happened with your parents and you were living in Konoha. But we can talk about that another time" says Jiraiya as they see Shima and Fukasaku approaching them. "But for right now, dinner then bed..."

**(Ame)**

"Are you going now?" asked Tobi.

"Yes" says Nagato, sitting inside a mobile, spider like chair with the Pain Realms, Konan, and Hinata encircling him. "We should make it to Senhana by sunrise and, once I find a specific vantage point, we'll begin the attack."

"Very good" says Tobi before a distortion occurs around his face and a weird giant syringe like object appears in his hands, which he hands to Konan along with what appeared to be a compass of some sort. "When you arrive, you the compass to locate a Vein of Senhana and stab it with the Injector. It will insure the Sprigga that defend Senhana won't be an issue."

"Understood" says Konan, taking both objects.

Tobi then looks at Hinata and ask "Are you ready for this? Ready to possibly face the Kyubi while it wears Naruto's face?"

Hinata looks down, then back at him and says "Honestly, I don't know. I won't know how I'll act and react to seeing Naru...I mean, Kyubi should he be there or show up. But if he isn't there, then why would he come to Senhana's aid?"

"Simple..." says Nagato. "He won't. Sure, he may say he's there for them. But the truth is that he's there for my Realms; there to finish the battle that was started before."

"Hinata" says Konan, placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "We're your friends now and we'll be there with you every step of the way. You won't be alone in facing...your killer."

"I...thank you" says Hinata, though she was still unsure about a lot of things. There was only one thing she knew for certain. Once she sees him again, she will know what it is she needs to truly do.

"Then good luck and may the grace of the Sage of the Six Paths be with you" says Tobi as they turn and head out.

In the shadows, Sakuya watches as they depart. Nagato and Konan; they were her old, good friends, and she trusted them without question. But Hinata...? Could she be trusted now. Sure, she had been brainwashed and all; the truth taken from her mind. But the fact remained that she had fallen in love with that demon child. And Sakuya knew how strong one's love for another could be.

_'Maybe I should tag along...just to make sure everything goes as it should...'_

**to be continued...**

**AN: **Next chapter, Through the Forest Burning shall truly begin with Pain attacking Senhana. While I can't say this for a certainty, but there's a chance at least one named character will die, just don't know who (assuming I do decide to start having good guys die at this point). Also, Shizune goes into early labor and will be giving birth to her's and Jiraiya's kid. So, do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Place your bets now in your reviews of this chapter.

Also, take note of who's present during the battle and who isn't and let the speculation begin on why such and such character wasn't around and could it be connected with that deleted scene I spoke of back in chapter 12 of Trance Forme (probably forgot about that one, huh)?

And as for the long awaited (AND LONG OVERDO) NaruHina reunion? The wait is nearly over as in either chapter 19 (the very end) or chapter 20 will finally have them coming face to face again. How will the reunion go and will Naruto be able to help Hinata remember the truth. Time will tell.

Also, next chapter will see a reveal about the Hyuga Clan, through Mada, I dropped hints about way back at the beginning of Overdrive. I wonder if any of you will see it coming when you read it?

And finally, we're also nearing the time for the full version of the Badass Syndrome chapter I tossed into the bonus Overdrive chapter (63) as a preview of things to come. That will be chapter 22 of this series (I think...we'll know soon).

And for **RAVE MASTER NARUTO **fans, be happy to know a new chapter will be out by Friday or Saturday. I had planned on relelasing it along side this chapter of NITF, but I noticed during my spell check I hadn't completed writing in a section of the chapter (skipped to a later scene due to writers block). The team arrive in the Land of Snow and get attacked by Ice Style users; how will Haku react to not being the last of his clan still alive? Find out along with a little hot spring love'n.


	18. 18 Through the Forest Burning 2

"What a peaceful and serene place" says Konan as she and the Pain emerged upon the lake shores.

It was still early morning and a heavy fog was covering everything around them, lowering visibility to only ten feet around you. They had managed to locate to suitable spot for Nagato to hide along with Hinata and where now ready to begin the attack.

God Realm steps forward, his eyes shifting into a sort of scanning like mode which caused everything he saw to become black and white, the fog not registering to him. He could clearly see Senhana despite its camouflage technique as well as the warning barrier all ninja villages had to alert them that intruders had breached the safety zone. "It's time to give them a wake up call."

Animal Realm jumped onto the extended arms of Demon and Hell, who them tossed the pony tailed haired Realm into the air at high speed. Covering the expanse of water quickly, Animal passes through the barrier and lands upon the south entry gate of Senhana.

Within Senhana, the fog covered sky is suddenly replaced by a warning alarm as the sky itself began flashing in various red colors. Kotetsu looked up and says "The security barrier, some one has breached it..."

Any further words are cut off as Animal Realm hops down right next to him, his back to Kotetsu. "Hey you...those robes? You're Aka..." His words are again cut off as Animal Realm suddenly does a kick that hits hard enough against his throat to both crush it and send him flying back into the link, sinking quickly as he desperately struggles in vain to breath. He was dead before reaching the bottom.

Knowing more ninja would be arriving quickly due to how the barrier glow was designed to lead the shinobi to the breach point, Animal makes his hand signs, then makes contact with the ground. "Summoning jutsu" he says, making Konan and the other Pain appear around him.

"Konan, find the Senhana Vein" says God Realm, getting a nod from the origami style user as her body breaks up into dozens of paper pieces and fly off. "Now go" orders God Realm, making the other Realms scatter. "It's time Konoha experienced the power of Pain" he says before heading out himself.

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.18: Through the Forest Burning 2**

"That noise" says Tsunade from behind her desk, rising quickly and looking out her window. Not just the sound being made, but the flowing lights upon the barrier. Scowling and biting her lower lip, she growls a little before saying "So, they have finally attacked."

She then turns back while snapping her fingers, making several Anbu appear before her. "Yamato, get down to Sen-heart at once and awaken the Sprigga."

"Right" says Yamato before turning and leaving the room, knowing that this was his one and only job.

"The rest of you, make getting all civilians and non-combatants into the shelters your first priority. GO" she orders, getting nods from the other Anbu before they disappear in puffs of smoke.

"Kero" she then orders, making a red colored toad appear before her.

"Yes, lady Tsunade" says the toad.

"The Akatsuki have arrived, I'm sure of it. Please return to Mt. Myoboku and alert Jiraiya at once. And make sure Naruto isn't made aware, understood?" says Tsunade.

"On it" says Kero before making a hand sign and reverse summoning himself back home.

Tsunade then takes one last look outside, then heads to the door. It was finally time for her to get her hands dirty as Hokage.

**(Senhana, north distract)**

Demon Realm's arms opened wide, revealing beneath them thing elongated metal cylinders which begin to glow before shooting free from what appeared to be a metal skeleton like formation. The projectiles fly all over, slamming into trees and shinobi alike, exploding and causing fires to flare up and screams of pain as ninja found themselves being blown open.

"Flesh is so weak" says Demon as his arms close up to generate the next volley.

"Wind Style; Shredding Blades" comes a voice, making Demon look up as the intimidatingly huge form of Asuma comes crashing down atop him, the landing and speed nearly fast enough to catch him and bring him down.

Having jumped back just in time, Demon smiles at the current head of the Sarutobi Clan and says "I've heard about you; Konoha's Wind Style giant. The stories are right, you really are a scary sight to see in person. Truly a man worthy of being one of the Senai Twelve Guard."

"I'm flattered by the praise. But don't think flattery will make me go easy on you, invader" says Asuma, seeing two familiar faces coming up from this ugly guys rear.

"And I wouldn't ask you to" says Demon, knowing going small scale won't cut it with his more worthy opponent. So, he brings both arms together, causing them to almost fuse into one and open up to reveal one large single projectile which lights up. "I am Demon Realm and as a show of respect, I won't go small scale with you."

The large missile fires, racing at Asuma while making a large screeching sound through the air. Asuma's face becomes dark as the chakra surrounding his twin blades intensifies. He then rushes forward, leaping up and over the missile while adjusting his body so the chakra around one kunai slices it clear in half while the other cuts it at various angles, making it break off into multiple pieces, its explosion defused. Asuma then lands but stands his ground.

"Hm, clever" says Demon as his arms split apart. "First time anyone has ever done that to one of my attacks." He then raises his right arm, the appendage shifting into a cannon shape which he then aims at Asuma. From the center of the hole in the cannon comes both a light and a low humming sound. "You won't be cutting this attack, I assure you."

Demon goes to shift his feet in order to properly brace himself, but finds his body suddenly unresponsive for some reason. "Wha...?"

"Shadow Possession jutsu, complete" says Shikamaru from his kneeling position.

"Why do you insist on calling it that, son, when it's proper name is Shadow Paralysis jutsu?" asked Shikaku who then makes Demon aim his transformed arm upwards, releasing the blast safely into the sky.

"Youth's prerogative?" suggested Shikamaru as his father then makes the shadows rise up and en-wrap Demon's body, leaving only his head exposed.

"A sneak attack from behind? How careless of me" notes Demon as the Nara's look around for any other intruders.

"We should get this guy to Inoichi so he can scan his mind for information" suggest Shikaku.

"I'll carry him if you two keep him tied up" says Asuma as he begins to walk forward.

"Hey you, just how many of them are you anyways?" asked Shikamaru, figuring it didn't hurt to ask.

"Not many, I assure you. But still enough for one puny village. Oh, and one more thing..." says Demon before the top of his head opens, revealing his silver colored brain with a ring around it. Upon this ring is a small gem which lights up quickly.

"Guys, watch out" shouts Asuma before going to dodge as a beam of energy shoots out from the gem at him, then quickly sweeping around towards the Nara. The beam manages to hit Asuma's shoulder edge, cutting right through it while Shikamaru and his father barely manage to dodge in time before the beam could slice them in half. The beam, however, does connect with several trees, causing them to topple over into several other trees which luckily hold.

"Asuma-sensei, are you OK?" shouts Shikamaru.

Breathing heavily, Asuma collapses to his knees and says "Yeah, I'm good. He just nicked me a little."

"Just a little nick, huh?" says Demon as he tosses off his Akatsuki robes, revealing his bare, pierced chest. Two more arms then grow out from the skin as his head shifts to show a face on each side with different facial features on each. Tentacles then grow out of his back. "I'll just have to to better then using my Ashura Mode."

"What a drag" both Nara say in unison following a sigh. This really was going to be a bothersome day.

**(Senhana, west distract)**

"Open your mind" says Human, his hand resting upon the head of a young, chunin ranked kunoichi.

The girl of sixteen cannot resist as the Realm probes deeply into her mind, seeing all her secrets laid bare. The only thing she can do is cry from the violation. "You don't seem to know, do you. Then you are of know use to us."

Human then pulls him arm free, the action causing a chakra like manifestation of the girl to appear rising from her body before fading out and the girl collapses, unmoving and no sigh of life left within her. "Now, where to look next?" wonders Human, figuring he needed to find someone close to Naruto to get any real information.

Directly above and behind him was Yugao, the highest ranking female Anbu operative Konoha had. _'This one, just what is he. From what I can tell, he's a mind reader not unlike the Yaminaka, though it seems his technique requires direct physical contact to work. But still, his speed is far greater than even master Inoichi. And there's that chakra release that occurs when he lets go to guard against too. I can't let him touch me...'_

"Smoke Style" she says as her body shifts into a smoke like form which quickly shoots down and enveloping the Realm from all sides. Human is taken by surprise by this his vision is quickly taken from him, followed by him feeling blows coming from from all over. Was it a smoke bomb? No, he knew this attack from his memories.

Going on instinct and memory, he gauges the attacks and waits, then suddenly doing a sweeping kick that causes Yugao to cry out in surprise as she finds her legs being kicked out from under her as she rematerialized for a second. Quickly rolling back out of her self created smoke, she says aloud "How?" as the smoke begins to clear. No one had ever been able to read her attack patterns and knew how her kekkei genkai even worked except for...

"Long time no see, Yugao" says Human, his face becoming clear to her eyes.

Yugao's eyes go wide with shock as she sees the now pierced faced of the man she loves standing before her. A man she thought for sure was dead and lost to her forever. "Hayate...it can't be."

"But it is" he says as he walks towards her.

"Haya...NO, it can't be. It has to be a fake, an illusion" she says jumping up and pulling her short sword out. "You died, killed by Orochimaru during the Shadow Test while defending the Ame representative, Konan..."

"You mean the same Konan who was then revealed to be a member of the Akatsuki, the group who had killed Hanzo and taken control without anyone knowing. No Yugao, I was killed by her and my body violated and turned into this...abomination. Then a fake was given to you as a replacement" says Human.

"Hayate..." she says, not wanting to believe it yet knowing his words had to be true.

"Please, Yugao. Save me, release me from this Pain. I...I don't want to do this, not to my village and...not to my only love. Save me; only you can do it, my moon flower" says Human.

Tears well up and fall from Yugao's eyes. "Hayate, it is you" she says as only he could know the special name he had given her, a named used ever since he had been her partner for her kunoichi training; a relationship that they had maintained well after the training had ended. For him, she was willing to give up everything, even her life and title in the shinobi world. She walks up to him and hugs him and he hugs her back. "We're together again, my love" she says before kissing him.

The kiss was deep and passionate and Hayate brings a hand up to the back of her head as she does to him so they may both make the kiss as deep as possible. And then, her hands fall free as her body goes rigid.

"Open your mind" he says, her eyes going wide as he delves deep into her psyche. "You don't know either." After a pause, Human says "The Hayate you know and love is dead. All that is left...is PAIN." And then he releases his hold on her, causing her chakra to be blown out, causing her to collapse.

"Now, let's find someone close to the Kyubi" says Human before walking off.

As her life fades from her, Yagao tries to reach out to Hayate's body, but finds she can't move._ 'Hayate...'_ she thinks one last time before her world goes dark for the final time.

**(Senhana, east side)**

"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?" asked Hell Realm, looking at the five ninja being held in mid air by the slimy tongue of his spectral beast familiar.

"Like we would tell you" says one on the Jonin ranked ninja.

"Very well then" says Hell as he has his beast rip their souls from their bodies, leaving the five to go slack as death takes them.

Animal Realm comes landing by him and says "This search is starting to become tedious."

Hell simply looks at Animal and nods in agreement; they both prepare to head out to continue the search when two figures come jumping into view. "Oh yeah, a two for one special. Just the way I like it" says Anko, licking her lips in anticipation.

"Don't forget that I'm here" says Ibiki as he walks up to join her.

"My bad" she teases. Becoming serious, she looks her opponents over then says "You can have the pony tail guy while I handle the angry looking guy."

"Any particular reason why?" asked Ibiki.

"No reason, I just find that pony tail guy rather cute and I have problems fighting cute guys" says Anko before rushing at Hell Realm.

Ibiki sighs, then says "That girl, if it wasn't for the fact she's simply acting out from the mental scarring Orochimaru brought upon her, I'd..." his words are cut off as Animal Realm places his hands upon the ground, summoning a pack of demonic wolves who also had the Rinnegan like eyes.

"A summoner, huh? All right then, I can work with this" says Ibiki, going on the attack.

**(below Senhana)**

A low rumbling sound shakes the shelters a little, making Konohamaru and Udon look up. "You really think we'll be OK?" asked Udon.

"Of course we will. After all, our village has strong ninja. No one can harm us" says Konohamaru reassuringly. He then looks over at Shizune who's handing out some blankets to the other civilians and ask "Right, Shizune-sensei?"

She looks at him and smiles, saying "Of couAAAHHHH." She suddenly collapses suddenly, making Kurenai, who's a few feet away and also handing out blankets, turn and run towards her.

"Shizune, are you OK?" asked Kurenai.

For a second, Shizune doesn't reply. Then she looks up with a strained look on her face. "I think the baby has decided it wants to be born."

_'Bad timing'_ thinks Kurenai who then ask "Are you sure?"

Shizune groans in pain, then says "Oh yeah, I'm sure."

Kurenai turns to the two boys, saying "Konohamaru, Udon, go find some doctors. We have a baby coming."

"Right" says both boys as Kurenai helps Shizune back up so as to take her to a private room.

**(Mt. Myoboku)**

"Hm, Hinata, your breast are so soft and cushy" mumbles Naruto in his sleep, saliva running down his chin as he clutches his pillow against him.

"And he was the one going on about getting an early start despite hitting the hay so late last nigh" notes Jiraiya, wondering if he should wake the boy from his dreams or not.

"Jiraiya-boy" comes Fukasaku, making the older man turn to see his aged counterpart. "We have news. Kero has returned and the Akatsuki have begun their attack on Konoha."

His face becoming grave, Jiraiya says "So, that time has finally arrived. So, what's the plan?"

"I've had Kero return to Konoha so he can summon us there and Ma is alerting Gamabunta and Gamakichi of the situation so they can keep Naruto occupied while we're gone."

Nodding, Jiraiya then ask "When do we leave?"

"I instructed Kero to summon us in fifteen minutes, which was three minutes ago. We have ten minutes to prepare before the summoning. We need to be ready" says Fukasaku.

Jiraiya looks back at his and Naruto's lodgings and says "Just rest, Naruto. I'll take it from here."

**(Tamatsa)**

Mada had met with little resistance upon her arrival, due in part to her having snuck into the mining town with ease and was now standing before the entrance to the Hyuga Clan's compound. A guard on patrol happens to glance down, seeing Mada, and ask "Who are you? State your business here."

"I've come on official business. Please allow me entry so I may speak with lord Hiashi" asked Mada aloud.

The man looks at her, studies her, then says "Go home, grandma. Lord Hiashi has not the time to waste on old waifs like you."

"That's rather rude" says Mada. She then balls her hand into a fist and channels chakra into said hand. "So is this" she says as she punches hard against the door, causing it to creak before toppling over with a loud thud.

"Guards, we're under attack" shouts the gate guard before jumping down to detain Mada, who easily counters and downs the man. As she walks through the gate, an alarm goes off and more guards appear.

Mada sighs as she continues walking and finds herself being surrounded. "It's never easy, is it?"

"Attack" shouts Ko, making the gathered men launch their attacks on Mada.

Mada dodges around the spear wielders, grabbing their weapons in mid-thrust and turning their attacks back upon them, then going on the offensive and attacking back. Ko himself steps in yet finds himself being unable to counter this woman who easily leaves all the Hyuga guard lying on the ground, unconscious.

"So pathetic" says Hiashi as he appears on the entry grounds. Behind him is Neji, remaining on guard to defend the women and children. "I'll have to implement stricter training policies." He then turns his attention to Mada and says "So, mind telling me what gives you the right to barge into MY home and attack MY family?"

"I didn't come here to fight, I can assure you. I was just seeking an audience with you, lord Hyuga."

Looking at his downed men, then at the damaged gate, Hiashi says "Funny way of seeking if you ask me."

"What choice was I left with, seeing as you gate guard wasn't being cooperative. And the fact is I just didn't have the time to wait either" says Mada.

"Well then, you are here as I am so I might as well here what you have to say before I escort you personally out of my home" says Hiashi.

"My reason for being here is a simple one. I want the Vajra you and your predecessor's have kept" says Mada simply.

"The Vajra? You have come here seeking a prized treasure of my family?" asked Hiashi.

"That treasure, as you so call it, was only meant for one purpose; protecting the Byakugan bearer once she had been born. Nothing more than that. And seeing as you no longer have her here, I've come to take it back" says Mada.

"The audacity" says Hiashi in disgust. "And just who are you to take what is mine and mine alone?"

_'His and his alone? Now I know something is up here within the Hyuga Clan' _thinks Mada, then says "Who am I? I'm the one who originally gave the Vajra to the Hyuga Clan for the very purpose I spoke of so it is within my right to take it back now."

"Ah, I see now. This explains why my guards were useless in driving an old woman out. You are elder Mada" says Hiashi as he reaches into his robes. "Very well then, if its the Vajra you want..." He then suddenly rushes Mada, a flash of gold slicing at Mada's body.

The move was so sudden that even Mada hadn't expected and was barely able to dodge back in time though her front had been slashed. "...then its the Vajra you will have...gutting you."

Mada takes a moment to study Hiashi. Indeed something wasn't right. For him to have the kind of speed that could catch her off guard on top of his mentality... "I think we have some things to discuss."

"No, we don't" says Hiashi continuing his attack.

**(Senhana; south side)**

"Keep it up. He has to let down his barrier eventually" shouts Sakura as the various ninja around her continue their attacks of water, fire, and lightning style jutsu. But despite the wide verities of attacks being launched at him, Ghost Realm held his ground as his barrier absorbed the attacks.

_'What is this guy? Being able to block all these attacks and not show any sign of weakness or fatigue. Just how much chakra does he have anyways?' _wonders Sakura.

"That's it, I'm spent" comes one ninja who collapses do to chakra exhaustion. One by one, the other ninja gathered with Sakura attack's start to weaken and fail before collapsing from the drain. Finally, it was just Sakura and the Ghost Realm, who finally allows his barrier to fade.

"No choice then" says Sakura, tightening her gloves hold on her hand. "I'll take him head on, CHA!" She then charges forward, channeling chakra into her fist.

Ghost Realm smiles, waiting for her attack and just as Sakura goes to strike, the Realm dodges to the side and grabs her outstretched hand with one of his. "I'm not done yet" shouts Sakura, aiming her other hand at the ground, but the Pain is able to grab that hand to before it can impact.

And then Sakura feels it, her chakra being sucked from her body. "Wha...?"

"I see..." says Ghost Realm. "You channel chakra into your fist to dramatically increase the damage you can unleash from a simple punch. Effective, but with one flaw. Your attacks are to obvious, to straight and predictable and oh so easily countered."

Sakura's vision begins to fade as she says "My chakra, what are you...?"

"You noticed. That is my power" says Ghost Realm.

"Leaf Hurricane" comes the voice of Lee suddenly, nailing Ghost Realm with a kick that sends him flying, then he catches Sakura as she falls forward. "Sakura, are you OK?" he asked.

Sakura is dazed and unresponsive for a second, then blinks as her mind kicks back in. "Lee, is that you?"

"Yeah, sorry for being late" he says before helping Sakura to steady herself so she could stand on her own again. "So, what is with this guy? I saw him defending from elemental jutsu."

"Elemental...I get it now" says Sakura as the Realm picked himself up. "When he grabbed me, I could feel him sucking up all my chakra. That must be his power, he can absorb not only chakra, but any jutsu that has any elemental or energy based aspect of it."

"Meaning the only option we have to go with here is taijutsu then, right?" asked Lee, getting a nod from Sakura.

"Yeah" she then says.

"Then I'm the perfect person to take him on then" says Lee, though he wished Guy-sensei was here instead of being off on that mystery mission Tsunade had given him.

"You think so?" says Ghost Realm. "Just keep in mind that all I need is to touch you in order to suck you...what?" His words are cut off as the ground shakes and the Sprigga begin to grow out.

_'Konan, the Sprigga have been summoned. Now is the time to disable them.'_

**(Konan)**

"So, this is the spot" says Konan, looking down at the ground where the slightest impression of a tree root could be made out. Take one last look around, she can't help but notice but to see the Sprigga begin to rise from the ground. "Time to get to the root of the prob...oh god, that was a horrible pun" she says, sighing sadly as she shakes her head in disgust.

She then stabs the injector into the root, the injector emptying its liquid contents into the forest city.

**(with Yamato within Sen-heart)**

Yamato had gotten use to this, willing the Sprigga into action. But then, he feels a coldness pulsing into him, causing his vision to blur. He finds the roots holding him up suddenly retract and he falls upon the ground. Groaning from the cold and pain coursing through his body, Yamato strains to get up and looks up at Sen-heart, seeing its healthy green glow slowly turning into a darkened purple color.

"Sen-heart, what's going on?" he shouts out as best he can, getting no reply from the spirit of Senhana.

**(Senhana; center)**

"Master Jiraiya has been alerted to the situation" says Kero, who had just returned from Myoboku. "I was instructed to give fifteen minutes before summoning him though in order to allow him time to prepare. I'm down to seven minutes left, milady."

"Understood, Kero. Go find somewhere to hide till the summoning, then head back" instructs Tsunade, getting a nod in response from the frog as he hops off.

Now it was time for her to join this battle. But, there was still one thing left for her to do first. Biting into her thumb, she makes several hand signs before pressing her hand against the ground. "Summoning jutsu."

From the summons comes Katsuyu, who's eyes quickly look down at Tsunade. "You called for me mistress?"

"Yes Katsuyu, I need you to disperse yourself and send you individual segments to everyone participating in this fight. That way, I can use Mitotic Regeneration should the need arise" instructs Tsunade.

"Are you sure, lady Tsunade. Won't that have severe negative side effects on you?" asked Katsuyu.

"Can't be avoided. Please, do this for me Katsuyu" asked Tsunade.

"Very well" replies the massive slug as her body begins to break down, the individual mini slugs slinking off as one heads over to join Tsunade herself.

"Now then, where should I go first?" wonders Tsunade, wondering which area would have the most need of her skills as Hokage.

"Why not stay here" comes a voice, making her look up to see a man with spiky orange hair and wearing the Akatsuki robes looking down at her.

"So, you've come seeking me out then?" asked Tsunade.

"Who better than you to know where the Kyubi's Jinchuriki is" says God Realm before hopping down, allowing Tsunade a clearer view of his face.

"You...? I know you" she says as an old memory plays in her mind.

"So you do recall my face. I'm honored" says God Realm before raising a hand up towards her. "Now..."

Tsunade suddenly finds herself being launched forward by some invisible force, heading directly towards Pain who then produces a metallic rod with his other hand, then sends it stabbing forward, aiming it at her heart. "...time to know Pain."

_'Damn it, no time to respond' _thinks Tsunade as the rod closes in on her heart.

What happened next was a blur of motions. Kakashi came shooting in, grabbing Pain's arm and pushing it clear while using his other hand to halt Tsunade's forward motion. "I'm I late, lady Hokage."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tsunade finds herself back on her feet as she says "Good timing, Kakashi."

God Realm quickly jumps back, then says "Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi looks at Pain and says "I'm guessing you came here for Naruto. Well know we of Konoha would never sell out a comrade."

"Of that I am aware, though it's not impossible that someone may be more willing to talk if given the right motivation. If nothing else, this attack will anger him and make him come seeking me out in revenge...odd, it seems your village was prepared for this attack, given how quickly you have responded to our attacks" says Pain, curious as to how they could have known.

Tsunade is about to respond when a sudden cry is heard. Looking around, both she and Kakashi see the Sprigga beginning to wilt and die from where they had risen up. "What is going on..."

"Never take your eyes off the enemy" says Pain, charging at the two of them, a chakra rod in both hand.

"Here he comes" alerts Kakashi, his Sharingan focused on Pain. But then, both he and Tsunade find themselves being hit by an invisible force, blasting them both back against the trees. A split second later, Tsunade cries out as Pain pierces her flesh at the shoulders with both rods, pinning her to the tree.

Pain then forms another rod in his hand, then ask "Last chance. Will you tell me where Naru..."

"Go to hell" spits out Tsunade.

"Very well then" says God Realm, aiming at her heart again.

"Lightning Blade" comes the voice of Kakashi, his attack aimed at Pain's head.

"Fast, but not fast enough" says Pain as he raises his free hand, blasting Kakashi back again. Wasting not a second, Pain then chucks the chakra rod at Kakashi like a javelin, the target is Kakashi's Sharingan. But then, a blast of smoke blast out within the flight path.

_'Now what?' _wonders Pain as both Kakashi and Tsunade look on.

"It looks like I arrived just in time..." comes the voice from within the cloud of smoke. As the smoke clears, Jiraiya's form can be seen, with Fukasaku and Shima resting on his shoulders, the marks on his face showing he was in Sage Mode. The chakra rod Pain had thrown clasped in his hands.

"Long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei" says Pain.

**To be continued...**

Next time, Jiraiya vs Pain, Hiashi's secret, Naruto arrives, and...


	19. 19 Through the Forest Burning 3

"_Am I dreaming?"_

Hanabi shifts in her bed restlessly as images pout into her mind.

"_In this dream, I see a forest where men and woman battle figures draped in black cloaks with red colored clouds upon them and ringed eyes. Is see pain and sorrow. Then there's a light which causes the forest to be crushed down. Then Naruto appears, battling the cloak wearers. And then..."_

"NARUTO" cries Hanabi waking and bolting up into a sitting position. She breaths heavily, sweat forming on her brow as she tries to collect her thoughts. She only needs a moment to understand what it was she just saw, what it meant. Jumping up from out of bed, she runs from her room, searching for the others.

Fuu and the other gathered Jinchuriki were just sitting down to enjoy breakfast when Hanabi comes bursting in, looking somewhat panic. "Hanabi, what's wrong?" asked Moegi, though her words are garbled do to the food in her mouth, her talking causing some chewed food to come spitting outwards.

"Hanabi, come join us before ice girl here sucks up all the food and turns into a little chubby chubby" shouts Fuu, getting an angry look from Moegi.

"I am not fat" counters the younger girl.

"Keep eating like that, you will be soon enough" counters Fuu. As she pours herself some milk, she says "By the way, you know where grandma is by any chance, Hana? I went to wake her earlier but her room was..."

"Naruto's in danger..." blurts out Hanabi, finally able to speak. This gets everyone attentions as they jump to their feet and run over to her.

"What do you mean? How do you know Naruto's in danger?" asked Utakata.

"Has grandma already passed on her foresight gift to you?" asked Fuu.

"No time...you must get to Konoha...Naruto will be facing...THAT MAN there" Hanabi says, still breathing hard.

Knowing who that man must be, Fuu becomes serious and says "OK, guys. We're heading out. ALL OF US." Not wasting a minute, the gathered Jinchuriki; Fuu, Moegi, Utakata, and Gaara, run out from the room to head to the portal. Time, they knew, was of the essence.

After a few moments of being alone, Hanabi clenches her fist as a look of determination comes onto her face. "I'm going to..." She then turns and heads for the portal herself, not caring she was still in her night clothes.

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.19: Through the Forest Burning 3**

"It looks like I arrived just in time..." comes the voice from within the cloud of smoke. As the smoke clears, Jiraiya's form can be seen, with Fukasaku and Shima resting on his shoulders, the marks on his face showing he was in Sage Mode. The chakra rod Pain had thrown clasped in his hands.

"Long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei" says Pain.

_'Jiraiya-sensei?' _wonders Jiraiya as he looks up sees the face of the man he was facing. "That face...it can't be..."

"What is it, Jiraiya-boy?" asked Fukasaku as both he and Shima look at him.

"Do you recognize him, bouya?" asked Shima.

Scowling, Jiraiya says "Yeah, but it can't be possible. There's no way he would..."

"What's wrong, Jiraiya-sensei? You seem confused. Surely you remember me, or is it you don't want to accept the reality you see before you" asked God Realm Pain.

"Jiraiya..." shouts Tsunade, getting his attention. Jiraiya's eyes go wide, seeing her pinned to a tree with chakra rods impaling her shoulders. "I know what you're thinking, but don't let his face make you lose focus. He's after Naruto."

Kakashi walks up and stands beside Jiraiya and says "Who is this man, master Jiraiya?"

"His name is Yahiko and he's a former student of mine" was Jiraiya's reply. He then looks at God Realm and ask "What of Konan and Nagato? I heard all three of you had been killed in battle."

"Konan is quite near. In fact..." The sudden whistling sound in the air makes both Kakashi and Jiraiya look upwards as Konan comes flying down with a paper made sword in each hand, planning on cutting them down and forcing the two men to break away. Konan keeps after Kakashi as Pain goes to attack Jiraiya in his moment of having his attention diverted.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent. You always told us that, sensei" says God Realm.

"He doesn't have to with us with him" counters Fukasaku before making a hand sign. "Sage Art: Harmonic Waves", releases a powerful series of sound waves that bring God Realm to a halt, forcing him to cover his ears as his mind is sent screaming in pain.

"Sage Art: Tongue Whipped" says Shima, launching her tongue out, wrapping it around Pain's body then slamming him against a tree with bone crushing force. "Now bouya, aid little Tsunade."

Nodding, Jiraiya rushes over to Tsunade and uses his enhanced Sage strength to free her from the binds of the rods. Now free, Tsunade begins to heal her shoulders. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I've suffered worse" says Tsunade as she stands. "But we have to be careful. When he pierces you with those rods, he can disturb your chakra control, get into you head..."

"Got it" says Jiraiya as they both look to see God Realm standing, showing no sign of injury.

Off to the side, Konan continues her own attack against Kakashi, moving as fast as she can but finding his Sharingan potent enough to keep him just ahead of her. Making hand signs, Kakashi tries to hit her with a Water Dragon jutsu, hoping water would weaken her origami style. Instead, Konan moves away and goes to join Pain.

God Realm closes his eyes, then says "I think I know where Naruto is now."

"What?" shouts Tsunade.

"Where?" asked Konan.

"It's obvious he isn't here, otherwise he would have shown himself now. But while I my rods where impaling Tsunade, I could see into her mind. The images were hazy but have now cleared. He's at Mt. Myoboku."

_'Damn, we can't let him live now' _thinks Kakashi, knowing what jutsu he had to use now.

"So, should we depart then?" asked Konan.

"Let us finish up here first. Going to a summon tribes village is...difficult and will take some time to arrange. Leaving a message here for him could still benefit us in the short term" says Pain.

"Wait, Konan...Yahiko, why are you doing this?" shouts Jiraiya. "Yahiko, you always wanted to protect your friends and hated stuff like what you're doing now. Konan, you were always so gentle and wanting to heal the pain in people's hearts. Why have you joined with the Akatsuki. And why do you have Nagato's eyes, Yahiko. And what of Nagato? What has become of him?"

"Very well, I'll answer your questions as my way of thanking you for what you did for us all those years ago, Jiraiya-sensei" says Pain as he begins to tell their story.

**(Mt. Myoboku)**

Naruto yawned as he came walking out into the morning sunlight, stretching for a moment before rubbing his stomach. "Wonder if granny Shima has any breakfast made yet? And where's Pervy Sage at?"

Naruto begins to look around; stopping by Fukasaku and Shima's place and finding it empty. He then decides to head over to the training field, wondering if they could be there. Then he hears Gamakichi's voice. "Maybe Kichi knows where they are" says Naruto to himself before heading in the direction of the voice. But as he approaches, he hears another voice talking to Gamakichi.

"I just don't think it's right, Kichi. After all, Naruto has ever right to know" comes the other voice.

_'Hey is that Shimatio, Kichi's girlfriend? And what about me needing to know? Know what?' _wonders Naruto as he continues forward, but now more quietly and stealthily.

"I know, but orders are orders. If Naruto knew the Akatsuki was attacking Konoha, he would want to go and..." says Kichi, but stops as Naruto emerges, deciding not to wait after hearing what was said.

"And what, guys?" says Naruto, a serious look on his face.

"Oh dragonflies" says Kichi, knowing both he and Tio were seriously boned now.

**(Senhana)**

"After you left us, we continued to train and improve our skills. Soon, we headed out and met others who shared our views and thus, joined us in our quest in making a better world. Soon, both our size and our activities caught the attention of Hanzo, who approached us. He offered to make us an official peace keeping force under Ame's jurisdiction. For a time, things were going well" says Pain.

Konan then continues, saying "But in time, Hanzo began to feel threatened by us, by our growing power and popularity among the people. Soon, he believed we had ourselves become a threat. To that end, he lured us into a trap and attacked us. Our group was decimated and Yahiko was...was killed."

"Killed, but how? Yahiko, you're standing here before us now" counters Jiraiya.

"What you see is his body and a fragment of his mind, both only animate because of Nagato's power. In truth, I'm just an empty shell under his control; my eyes are his and what I hear he hears. I don't expect you to understand, Jiraiya-sensei" says God Realm.

"It is then he appeared and saved us, gave us purpose and helped us gain our revenge. We paid Hanzo back for his betrayal and took his seat of power. And now, we continue working towards our desired goals, albeit with a few changes here and there that came from our saviors suggestions" says Konan.

"And just who was this savior?" asked Kakashi.

"Madara Uchiha" says Pain.

Tsunade feels her blood turn to ice upon hearing that name. "No, impossible. Madara is dead, pulled into the Makai Realm by the Kyubi after he and my grandfather battled decades ago."

"We do not know if he is indeed the true Madara or not as he has also responded to the name Tobi, but his power and knowledge our both real enough for us. Now, will you give us the Kyubi Jinchuriki or not?"

"Never, we would never sell Naruto out" shouts Jiraiya.

Pain closes his eyes and says "I see, how disappointing. I had hoped that you would be willing to work with us, for old times sake, Jiraiya-sensei. But I guess I was wrong. Konan, we are done here."

"Yes, we are" says Kakashi as he suddenly brings his hands close together, having managed to prepare his strongest jutsu without anyone noticing. A ball of lighting forms between his hands and Jiraiya, realizing what that jutsu was, grabs Tsunade and pushes her off to the side. "Lightning Style: Gigavolt Purge" shouts Kakashi, launching the jutsu at lightning speed at Pain and Konan.

The explosion is deafening.

Kakashi begins to breath heavily as he collapses to his knees. The one draw back of this jutsu was it used up a massive amount of chakra, so much so that it would leave him near empty even if he was using it at his maximum chakra level.

"That'll finish them..._huff_...no one I've ever used it on has never..."

"A powerful jutsu to be sure" comes the voice of Pain from the cloud of smoke.

"No way, he survived such a powerful jutsu" says Tsunade.

"But nothing compared to the power of a god" says Pain as he and Konan become visible again. Across the village, all the other Pain Realms immediately stop their particular battles and immediately withdraw, much to the confusion of the Konoha ninja.

Pain then looks at Konan and says "Go..."

Konan nods before the lower half of her body breaks away, becoming paper which reforms as wings upon her back, allowing her to fly off. Pain then looks at Jiraiya and Tsunade and says "Now, I will teach you about true Pain before I take my leave", and then his body begins to rise into the air.

"He's getting away" says Fukasaku.

"Not if I can help it" says Jiraiya as he begins to hop after the rapidly ascending Pain.

Upon the banks of the shore, Konan takes a moment to look back at the village and finds it odd that no pursuit could be seen. But then, she sees the other Pains suddenly bowing down as if praying, their eyes beginning to glow. "Wait, you can't be thinking of using that jutsu..." Her head then turns in the direction that Nagato was at and cries out "Nagato, NO."

Pain comes to a stop high above Senhana and looks down as his hands clasp together and when he pulls them apart, revealing a pulsating orb of white and black coloring. "Wait" comes Jiraiya voice as he leaps up from the trees, a Rasengan forming in his hand.

"To late...for all of you" says Pain before launching the orb towards the ground "Chibaku Tennin (Catastrophic Planetary Destruction)."

The orb hits the very center of Senhana and for a second there is nothing...and then, the ground begins to crack and rupture, exploding outwards violently and sending both trees and and people flying as the world, to them, seemed to explode away. The waters of the lake being blasted all over and raining down over the surrounding area. If Chibaku Tensei sucked things in, then Chibaku Tennin pushed them away with equal violence as the Tensei delivered.

And from Pain's point of view, there was nothing but smoke and the outline of a crater that had once been the forest sanctuary and its surrounding lake.

**(Tamatsa)**

Hiashi collapses to the ground, breathing heavily and finding movement difficult. Mada, exhausted herself, grabs the Vajra which she had allowed to stab her stomach so as she could land a finishing hit on Hiashi and retake the weapon and slides it into her robes. "Now then, I have some questions for..."

"YYYOOOUUU" comes Neji, coming at Mada with nothing but his bare hands.

Mada sighs as she easily counters his predictable movements, then lands a hit that leaves Neji stunned. As Mada goes to knock him out as he lays upon the ground, she notices something and places her hand upon his forehead followed by sending a little chakra into his head. And when she pulls her hand away, she sees it. "A suicide seal? But why would..." she ask as she looks back at Hiashi.

"So, I guess this means my thoughts were right" she says as she walks up to Hiashi, who is trying to pick himself up. "You were wielding the Vajra with your right hand. But from what I heard, Hiashi was a south paw. But then again, you know that, don't you...HIZASHI Hyuga."

"Damn you" says Hizashi as Mada stops and places a hand on his forehead.

"Now, tell me the truth. What happened to Hiashi and why are you here in his place? Why did you treat Hinata and Hanabi like you did and why does your son have a suicide seal placed on him?" asked Mada, keeping her hand pressed to his forehead while sending out chakra into his brain.

Hizashi's eyes lose focus as he enters the trance caused by Mada's technique. In a monotone voice, he says "Years ago, lady Hinata was born and it was evident right from birth that she was the one we had been waiting for; the Byakugan bearer we were sworn to protect. Hiashi, my brother, decided to hold off training her till she was seven, wanting her first few years to be lived as a regular child. Naturally, we did our best to keep her eyes a secret as we feared she would be targeted because of the Byakugan."

"But when she was three, a man broke into our home and attempted to kidnap her. Naturally, he was dealt with. But we soon learned he was a Kumo ninja and his village wanted compensation, Hiashi's dead body as payment. Though my brother was willing to give himself up in order to protect Hinata, it was I who made the ultimate sacrifice so I could protect him. I was handed off to the Kumo ninja and was taken back to their village, or so I thought..."

Mada notices resistance and guesses what was next may have been mental tampering on the part of the Kumo. "Hizashi, don't fight the truth and remember what happened." she instructs, sending a little more chakra to help out.

After a moment, he continued his revelation. "I found myself in a room, inside a tower with rain falling outside, and in the presence of a man wearing a mask. The Kumo who had collected me revealed themselves to be a plant man who had split himself in half. The masked man made me look into his one eye, a Sharingan eye that I could not resist. I was there a year I think before I was sent back home and, in the dead of night, I reunited with my brother. I attacked him as ordered by my masked master."

"Did you kill him?" asked Mada gravely.

"I don't know, only that his motionless body was taken by that man in the mask who then gave me instructions on how to proceed. Neji, my son, then came and attacked the man but had that seal placed on him and I was told that if I failed in my duty, my son would die. And so, I did as I was told."

_'I see, he was brainwashed and Neji was made as insurance to keep him in check. But, though this answers a few questions, it has also raised many more in their place' _thinks Mada before asking "This man, why did he not take Hinata if he wanted her? Why allow her to remain here?"

"I do not know" says Hizashi.

Mada sighs before making a sign with her free hand, then pressing the free hand up against her other hand, creating a piercing light that causes Hizashi to fall backwards, groaning. She then walks over to Neji and places her hand on his head, breaking the seal which she guessed may also be the source of his anger. "I've released you from the mind control and Neji from the seal. Though what has happened wasn't of your own choosing, you'll still have to live with what you have done regardless."

"Farewell, Hizashi Hyuga" she says before turning and heading back to the main gate.

**(Senhana)**

Jiraiya groans as he picks himself up. His attack had nearly made it before the shock wave from Pain's attack had hit him, sending him flying in an unknown direction. It takes only a moment for his vision before he is fully capable of seeing the devastation caused by Pain's attack. "Boss, ma'am, are you both alright?" he asked.

"It would seem like it" says Fukasaku, shaking the cobwebs out of his head.

Shima coughs from the dust, then says "What a horrible power. Did anyone besides us survive it?"

Before Jiraiya can reach out with his Sage sense, he hears Tsunade groan come from close by, turns, and sees her laying on her stomach. Getting on his feet, he goes to her side, turning her over, and taking her into his arms. "Tsunade, are you OK?"

She coughs a little, then opens her eyes and says "Yeah, I'm fine. But what about..." Her words are cut short as she sees nothing all around them but a massive crater filled with the surviving remains of the Senju Hidden Village. "Senhana, my clan's ancestral home. Its gone...wiped clean from the face of the earth..."

As Jiraiya goes to speak, his eyes suddenly fall upon her forehead and notice the dot had vanished. "Tsunade, did you use Mitotic Regeneration?"

She nods, saying "It was on pure instinct. I could sense that Katsuyu's individual segments had reached everyone else on the battlefield and I activated it to give them a chance to survive. Jiraiya, can your sense if they're OK with Sage Mode?"

Jiraiya closes his eyes, focusing for a moment, then says "We've lost a few ninja, but I can sense that most have survived."

"What a relief..." says Tsunade, glad to hear that much.

In what use to be the north distract, the ground shift as Asuma's large form emerges from under the earth, needing a moment to collect his thoughts. "Shikamaru, Shikaku, you both out there?" he shouts.

"Yeah, over here" comes Shikaku as he stands from behind a downed tree.

Asuma gets up and walks over to the stiffly, asking "You both OK?"

Shikaku, who had a hand clutching a bloody shoulder, says "Had a rock blasted through my shoulder. Nothing serious though."

"I think my legs broken, but I'm good otherwise" says Shikamaru. "What about you, Asuma-sensei."

"Just a few cuts and bruises and a sore back. Right now, I'm more worried about everyone else."

In the west district, a giant wood pillar burst out of the, then splits down into four segments onto the ground, revealing a ragged looking Yamato, clutching the watermelon sized seed of Senhana tightly against his chest. Luckily, the spirit within the seed had released him from the link before the poison could fully effect him, thus allowing him to both save the seed and save himself. Looking down at the seed, he could sense the effect of the poison was already lessening and would soon be gone. But, looking at all around him, he knew the damage had been done and things could never go back to the way they had been.

In the east district, Anko releases the snake shell jutsu she had used to protect herself as Ibiki stands and dust himself off. "Now we know why those two retreated so quickly" notes Anko.

"Can you walk?" asked Ibiki, getting a nod from Anko as she stands. "Then we need to find lady Hokage quickly and assess the fully scope of the damage done."

And in the south district, one of the giant downed trees begins to shake before lifting into the air and rolling off of Lee, who had covered Sakura with his body in order to protect her. "Are...you OK, Sakura?" he asked.

"Yeah, because of you. Thank you, Lee" says Sakura. Lee tries to give her a smile, but his eyes roll into the back of his head and his body collapses down against Sakura's. "Lee? LEE?" shouts Sakura who then sees a dark red spot beginning to form on his back, coming from a tree fragment she saw sticking out of his back.

Moving quickly, Sakura lays him down carefully, then begins to work on healing him. "Don't worry, Lee. I will save you..."

"What about the underground shelters? Were they effected by this?" asked Tsunade.

"I can't sense any death amongst the civilians in the shelters. Luckily for us, the shelters were even deeper underground the Sen-heart...Shizune" he says suddenly.

Becoming concerned, Tsunade ask "What is it, what's going on?"

"Her chakra...I think she's gone into labor" says Jiraiya, worried the previous action caused by Pain had triggered it. She still had several weeks left to go before the due date.

"So, you both still live I see" comes God Realm as he descends back to the ground, landing only a few yards before them. "And from what I heard, it would seem most of your ninja survived as well." After a pause, he adds "No matter as this alone was enough to teach you about pain.

"Yahiko, stop this" shouts Jiraiya.

"Yahiko is gone, Jiraiya-sensei" says Pain as a chakra rod suddenly shoots into his hand. "And now, so will too the both of you." And Pain charges Jiraiya and Tsunade.

He was coming in fast, faster than either could react to. And then,another blast of smoke shoots outwards and Pain finds himself being brought to a dead stop as he feels someone grabbing onto his chakra rod and being him to a halt.

"I always wondered how I would feel if I saw your face again" comes the voice of Naruto from the smoke, which quickly clears, revealing Naruto indeed was really here and now wearing the sage garments Shima had made for him.

"And now I know" adds Naruto.

He was wearing clothes similar to those worn by Jiraiya, except his were a dark orange instead of a faded green like Jiraiya's as well as a red colored sage jacket with short sleeves and black colored flames along the bottom.

"So, you finally came out of hiding, Kyubi's Jinchuriki" says Pain.

Outside the blast zone of the village, Human Realm says to Konan "It would seem he came to us after all."

"Naruto is here?" asked Konan, honestly surprised by this news.

"Yes, which means we will now capture him" says Hell Realm.

"But Nagato, what about your chakra? Using something like the Chibaku..." protest Konan.

"He has shown himself to us and it would be rude of me to not remain" says Ghost.

"Besides, Hinata has already left my side. She sensed his arrival before Rod Realm had even seen or heard him and she desires a face to face with him" adds Demon.

_'Hinata is on the move?'_ After a moment, Konan says "Fine, I'll return to your side and lend out my chakra to you. I can do that much now at least." And with that, Konan sprouts paper wings and flies off in Nagato's direction as the five Realms head back towards the battle site to rejoin God Realm.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" shouts Jiraiya.

"It's dangerous, bouya. This man wants capture you and is the one who killed" says Shima, but is cut off by Naruto.

"Yeah, I know all that. But nevertheless, I still have to be here. Even if my opponent is him, I can't just turn my back on my village and my friends. For me to do that would make me an even worse person than him. And besides...I'll have to face him sooner or later and now is as good a time as any" says Naruto.

"And how did you know we had even come here to begin with, Naruto-boy?" asked Fukasaku.

"We can talk about that later...along with your three's own personal actions as well" says Naruto.

"So, you aren't going to run away then. I'm happy to hear that" says Pain who then recalls his previous words. "Before, you mentioned wondered how you would feel if we ever crossed paths again? Tell me, where are your feelings now."

Naruto's eyes narrow as he grits his teeth and clenches his fist. "What do you think? I hate you. My hatred for you is so strong right now that it makes me shake. For what you did here and...for what you did to Hinata, how can I not hate you with all that I am?"

Pain closes his eyes and says "I understand. Your anger, your hatred are both warranted and well earned. You know the same Pain as I so we should be able to..."

"Save it" says Naruto, cutting Pain off. "I've no interesting in hearing any explanations from you just so you can attempt to justify your actions. I don't know what kind of life you lived in the past, but that is no excuse for what you have done, both here and there. And I will bring you to justice for what you've done."

"I see. Well then, Naruto Uzumaki..." says Pain as he opens his eyes and the other Pain come landing down in a pattern; Ghost, Animal, Human, and Demon taking the front position, God in the middle, and Hell in the back. "...go ahead and try to bring us to justice, if you can."

"Six of you, huh?" says Naruto as his eyes look at each of the Pains gathered before him. "Wait, Hayate-sensei...?"

"Correct" says Human Realm. "This body used to belong to the one you know as Hayate Gekko, who fell during the Shadow Test. As the previous Human Realm had been lost due to the events of the second test, there was need for a replacement, so he was chosen and we sent a cosmetically altered cadaver back in his place. Obviously, know one of Konoha was none the wiser."

"Damn you..." says Naruto.

Off to the side, Jiraiya looks at Tsunade and ask "Do you still have enough chakra left to perform some medical healing?"

"Just barely" was the reply.

"Then get to Kakashi if you can. He's still alive, but is in bad shape" says Jiraiya as he begins to walk forward.

"Wait, Jiraiya. What are you..." asked Tsunade.

"I can't let Naruto face this challenge alone" says Jiraiya as he comes to stand by Naruto. "Naruto, boss, ma'am, lets end this now." Naruto and the two toads nod in agreement.

"Two Sages against the Six Pain? Very well then. We shall defeat you master Jiraiya and then we shall tame you, Kyubi" says God Realm as Human, Ghost, Demon, and Animal charge forward.

Katsuyu crawls out from Jiraiya's clothes and says "Listen, I have intel on Pain. The one on the far left can perform summoning, the one next tom him can read minds if he touch's your head and can kill you by breaking that connection. That one can fire odd weapons from his body and even grow more arms and the one on the far right absorbs any ninjutsu."

"The closest of the stationary ones can use gravity and repulsion based attacks, though why he's staying back is odd" notes Jiraiya.

"Perhaps his previous attack affected him in some way, preventing him from using his power right now" notes Shima.

"And that last one's power is still unknown" adds Katsuyu.

"Regardless..." says Naruto as he races towards the approaching Pain with Jiraiya right behind him. "I won't let them have their way" he finish's as he makes a beeline towards Human Realm, wanting to bring this abomination of Hayate to an end. The faster Demon Realm tries to intercept, but Shima launches an intense water style jutsu that slices into Demon's body, cutting him in half.

Naruto and Human trade blows and Human tries to touch Naruto's head, knowing success would leave him momentarily stunned and easily defeated. But Naruto sees through this tactic and instead leads Human in close before getting him with a punch that sends him down. Then Naruto forms a Rasengan which he promptly sends slamming into Hayate's body, ripping it into pieces.

"You can rest now, Hayate-sensei" says Naruto before seeing Animal Realm summoning a giant rhino and an ant-lion beast.

Jiraiya finds himself crossing blows with Ghost and finds with each attack seems to drain more and more of his chakra from him. "Jiraiya-boy" says Fukasaku. "Yeah, I can feel it. Just exchanging physical contact is enough for him to use to leech on me."

"Ma, we need to use our song" says Fukasaku.

"Are you kidding? At our age it would be to embarrassing" counters Shima.

"Do we really have a choice under the current circumstances?" asked Fukasaku.

Shima groans, saying "I hate when you're right. Fine, let's do this." Jiraiya jumps back, making some space as the two toads intake a great deal of air before unleashing an intense sound from their throats, the power of which causes Ghost Realm to freeze in place as his senses go crazy.

"Now, bouya" shouts Shima to Jiraiya.

"Right" says Jiraiya as he leaps into the air. "Sage Art: Grand Rasengan" which he then brings down upon Ghost. But somehow, despite his thoughts being scrambled, he is somehow still able to react and raise both hands to activate his absorption power.

"My attack..." says Jiraiya, surprised he could still think well enough to act.

"Here comes the Calvary" shouts Naruto as the two summon burst behind him and he sends the captured Animal Realm flying at Ghost, who takes one arm away from absorbing Jiraiya's attack to catch his fellow Realm. "Big mistake, buddy" says Naruto grinning as a disk of spiraling energy form in his hand. "Wind Style: Rasen-Shuriken." He then sends the attack at the two Pains.

Ghost realizes his error. In catching Animal with one hand, he was now vulnerable. There was no time to let go and counter the incoming attack and if he took his other hand away from what it was doing, then he would be hit by what was left of Jiraiya's attack and both would finish him.

"Pervy Sage, get back" shouts Naruto. Jiraiya waits till the last second, then blast out air from his mouth to push himself clear as the attack lands dead center, consuming the two Pain within a maelstrom of destruction. And when the attack finally lets up, there was nothing left of either of the two enemies.

Naruto joins Jiraiya as he lands and the older ask "Naruto, that was amazing. I didn't know you had mastered the fifth wind style me and Kakashi trained you in."

"I did it in secret as I wanted to surprise you, pervy sage. But I can only viably use it when in Sage Mode. Also, I can make one more and then my sage chakra will be used up" says Naruto.

Jiraiya nods, then says "That won't be a problem as there's only two left."

"Wait, where did that one go?" asked Shima, noticing Hell Realm was missing.

"Jiraiya, Naruto, above you" shouts Tsunade from Kakashi's side.

The two look up and see a restored Demon Realm coming down at them, having entered his Ashura Mode. On instinct, Jiraiya pushes Naruto clear before Demon Realms attack lands. Naruto finds himself rolling along the ground which he quickly regains control and jumps back to his feet. "Pervy Sage, Geezer Sages" he shouts.

Demon jumps clear from the smoke as it clears, revealing Jiraiya in a kneeling position. He coughs up blood as even more blood pours from the stump that had once been his left arm. "Bouya, are you OK?" asked Shima.

"No..." admits Jiraiya, knowing he also had a collapses lung, broken ribs, and possible other internal injuries. _'What power, to be able to do this to me while in Sage Mode...' _he thinks.

"Now to finish you" says Demon as he rushes Jiraiya, but he's cut off from above by Naruto, who slams a Rasengan into him, blasting him into the ground and taking him out again.

"Where did he come from? I thought he was already down?" says Naruto.

"It must have been that last one" says Fukasaku. "His power may be the ability to repair the others."

"Then I'll take him out next" says Naruto as he charges Hell Realm. God Realm jumps in between them, forcing Naruto to throw several smoke bombs into the ground. He then emerges from the left, making God Realm head at him, then another Naruto emerges from the right.

"Not good enough" shouts God Realm as he spins around, forming chakra rods which he promptly tosses at each. The one on the right is hit and burst, confirming it as a Shadow Clone while the left one barely dodges which gives God Realm time to get at him and stab him with another rod. But this Naruto burst as well. "What?" says a surprised Pain.

"Rasenredom; Rasengan Barrage" comes Naruto from above, slamming five connected spiraling spheres into Hell Realm, shredding him. Naruto then looks at Pain and says "Just you and us now, buddy" he says as he forms another Rasen-Shuriken.

"You have to hit me with it..." Pain tries to say, but Naruto suddenly shoots forward, encircling him as a blur. Using Swift Sprint in Sage Mode, Naruto confuses him as he launches the attack.

"Got you" he says triumphantly as the spinning disk of chakra bares down on Pain.

And then, the attack suddenly explodes without warning. "Shinra Tensei; my power has returned" says Pain.

Naruto could already feel his sage mode wearing out do to his last attack, but there was still enough time for "Sage Art: Swift Sprint" he says, shooting forward. Before Pain can react, Naruto lands a sage powered punch that sends God Realm flying back, slamming him into the ground.

Now back to normal, Naruto breaths heavily. "I may be tired, but I'll finish this before you can stand again..." and he begins to walk forward as a Rasengan forms in his hand.

Pain looks at him and tries to stand, but finds the pain in his abdomen keeping him downed. He would need a few more moments to recover, moments he knew he didn't have.

Naruto comes to a stop over him and looks down as he prepares the strike out with his Rasengan. "Do it, take your revenge" says God Realm.

"You killed Hinata, you attack my village, hurt my friends. For that reason, I should destroy you" says Naruto, yet Pain notices his hand shake. "And that's why..."

A shadow comes over Naruto, a figure landing right beside Pain. Before Naruto can react, his finds himself being kicked hard in the stomach by this new, obviously female based on her bodily shaped, arrival. Naruto slams back against the ground, then cries out as he feels his left shoulder and right leg being pierced by chakra laced claws which dig deep into him.

"Face to face again, huh Kyubi" comes a very familiar voice.

_'That voice? It can't be...'_ thinks Naruto as the girl pulls her hand free of the claw that was embedded in his leg, reaches up, and pulls the coverings over her face off.

"I've waited for this moment since that day you killed me" says Hinata, her eyes scream of anger and rage.

"HINATA?" says a stunned, shocked Naruto.

**To be continued...**


	20. 20 What Our Eyes Reflect

"_Um...are you OK?" came the voice of a girl._

_Naruto's eyes shoot open, looking up at her and finding himself blushing at the sight before him. He could see her face now and he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen before. And seeing the moon resting in the sky behind her made he even more beautiful._

_Then his mind registered her question, leading him to say "Yeah, I'm OK. I'm lucky I have such a hard head...wait, I think I just insulted myself?"_

_The girl giggles at that as he sits up. He then smiles and says "Heh heh, sorry for surprising you like that. My name is Naruto; Naruto Uzumaki."_

"_It's nice to meet you, Naruto. My name is Hyu...um, Hinata. My name is Hinata" says the girl as she bows before him._

"_But why do you think my eyes are pretty? I mean, my eyes are totally different from anyone elses."_

"_It's because they are different that makes your eyes pretty. I'm not sure quite how to describe it, but looking into your eyes reminds me of two pearls and a perfect moon, unblemished by craters and other such things."_

"_You really mean that?" asked Hinata, earning a nod from Naruto. She then blushes as she says "Thank you. No one has ever said that about my eyes before."_

"_Hinata...thank you. Because of you, I was able to gain control of this power. Don't worry, I'll end this quickly."_

"_Don't count me out yet. I swore I would save her and I never go back on my word. No matter what, I will defeat you here and now, or my name isn't Naruto Uzumaki" shouts Naruto as the real Naruto erupts from the ground, revealing the one Hanbano had just battled was a shadow clone. The Kumo nin tries to defend himself, but Naruto is to fast as he sends a lethal slash cutting into Hanbano's chest._

"_Naruto, can I borrow one of those bladed weapons of yours for a moment?" asked Hinata._

"_Huh? Oh, you mean my kunai? Sure, but why do you want one?" asked Naruto._

"_You'll see" said Hinata as Naruto gives her the kunai she asked for._

"_This breeze...feels so good" says Hinata as she gazes across the massive expanse of land that was stretched out before her._

"_Yeah, it really does feel nice" agreed Naruto, nodding._

_Then, to Naruto's surprise, Hinata takes her free hand and grabs onto her long hair and bunches it together as much as she could. And then, she takes the kunai and cuts into her hair; sawing off as much as she could._

"_Hinata? What the heck are you doing?" asked an alarmed Naruto._

"_It's a tradition within the Hyuga to have long hair; both men and women alike. Seeing as I am no longer a Hyuga, this is my way of fully breaking free of their oppressive chains and become my own person" says Hinata as another strong breezes passes by and she releases the hold she has on her hair, allowing the many strands to be caught by the wind and blown away into the sky._

"_And with this wind of new beginnings, I have been reborn to become whatever it is I choose to be."_

"_Naruto, good luck out there" said Hinata,wishing him and his team luck in the Shadow Test._

_Naruto gives her a thumbs up and says "I'll come back...we'll come back as winners and it will be dedicated to you, Hinata. Believe it." Naruto then reaches into his pocket, pulling out the star shaped locket that had once been his mother's. He then uses his free hand to take hold of Hinata's so he could place the locket in her hand._

"_Naruto...what...?" asked Hinata._

"_This has always been a precious keep sake for me and I've always carried it with me, but now I want you to have it now. I hope it'll bring you good luck as it has brought me" says Naruto before mentally adding 'After all, its luck allowed me to meet you, right?'_

"_I...I can't accept this, Naruto. It's something precious to you and..."_

"_All the more reason for you to accept it and take good care of it. Besides, I don't need it anymore anyways."_

"_You don't?"_

"_Yeah, because I've found something even more precious to me" says Naruto before he and his team depart._

_Hinata blushes fiercely as she holds the locket close to her heart. "Naruto..."_

"_Naruto, were you really going to kiss me back there?" asked Hinata._

_Naruto blushes as he wonders what to say. "Well, yeah...that was the plan. Um, you wouldn't have minded, would you?"_

"_No, Naruto. I wouldn't have..." Hinata's words are suddenly cut off as Naruto's hands suddenly reach up and grab hold of her shoulders, pulling her in so he could press his lips against hers. The kiss last but a moment and when they break apart, they look into each others eyes before kissing again, their hands coming together and their fingers entwine. The kiss under the fireworks of Starica last longer than the first one. Much longer than the first._

"_You've changed, Hinata." says Naruto, a smile forming on his face._

_Hinata blushes from the comment, then says "Because of you, Naruto. If you hadn't come into my life that day, deciding to save me from that fate, I can't even imagine what my life would be like now or even where I would be. What I'm saying is...thank you, Naruto."_

_'I'm the one who should be thanking you, Hinata.'_

"_...oh, the hell with it" says Naruto before moving to stand before Hinata and, before she can even blink, captures her with a fierce lip lock while placing his hands against her back, pressing her body tightly against his own. She didn't make any effort to fight the kiss, she didn't even want to. Instead, she surrenders her whole being fully to it, moaning in pleasure from the full deepness of it. And after what had to be an eternity, they finally broke the kiss as both needed air._

"_I hope that wasn't to fast...?"_

"_Just shut up and kiss me" says Hinata, and Naruto is quick to give the one he loves what she desires._

_When this kiss ends, a trail of saliva still connecting them, Hinata makes her decision on what she wanted to do next. "Naruto...I'm ready. Please, make love..."_

"_No, Hinata...please, please no. Don't leave me, Hinata, please" begs Naruto as he holds the dying girl in his arms._

_Hinata just smiles up at him as she barely manages to reach up and caress his cheek."I'll never leave you, Naruto. I...will always be...with you...I...love you...Na...ru...to..."_

"_Is this the first time you've suffered the loss of someone close to you?" asked Pain._

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.20: What Our Eyes Reflect**

"I've waited for this moment since that day you killed me" says Hinata, her eyes scream of anger and rage.

"Hinata?" says a stunned, shocked Naruto.

For a second, Hinata is taken aback; caught off guard even. His voice and even his eyes, the very aura he was giving off...it all seemed oh so much like Naruto's. But that was impossible. Naruto was...Kyubi was in control now. And yet...

The bracelet glows, dispelling the unneeded thoughts from her mind and putting her back into the mindset Tobi wanted her to be in. "Surprised to see me again, Kyubi? I can understand the surprise seeing as when we last were together, you had possessed Naruto and killed me."

"What?" says Naruto, his mind unable to rationalize what he had just heard. He had killed her? But why would she say that? It had been Pain. Surely she remembered that.

He turns his head towards God Realm, seeing the last of the six Pain finally returning to his feet. "YOU, JUST WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER" shouts Naruto.

"I saved her; saved and freed her from the darkness you brought into her life" was Pain's response.

Hinata's free hand makes Naruto look back at her as she says "He's the one who saved me after you killed me, Kyubi. Using his power, he revived me from deaths embrace. And thanks to him, I'm been given a second chance...and I won't fail this time."

"Hinata, you've been tricked. I'm not the one who killed you" protest Naruto. "Please, believe me, it was..."

"Don't try to lie to me, Kyubi. I know the truth. Making yourself sound like Naruto won't fool me" says Hinata, pressing the claws piercing Naruto's shoulders in even deeper, illiciting a pained response from Naruto.

_'This can't be real. This must be a nightmare. Hinata...Pain has brainwashed her somehow. There has to be something I can do, something to make her remember the truth' _thinks Naruto as his eyes roam across her form, falling upon the glowing bracelet. _'Is that the caused of her amnesia, her anger?"_

An idea comes to mind, but it was a long shot. "So, what's to become of me, Hinata."

"We will take you back and seal you within Gedo Mazo where you can be used along with the other Biju to destroy the Makai Realm. And then...maybe we can save Naruto from you, even if only his soul."

"But what do you want personally, Hinata? Is that what you want or do you really want to kill me, the one who killed you?" asked Naruto, catching her off guard.

_'What is he plotting?' _wondered Pain, taken aback by Naruto's sudden words.

"Because you killed me, no. I don't want to kill you for that. But for what you've done to Naruto, that makes me want to kill you so he can finally find peace" admits Hinata.

"I see..." says Naruto, closes his eyes and thinking, hoping what he says next will work. He then opens his eyes and says "Then kill me then. If that's how you feel, then do it."

"What...?" says Hinata suddenly, her mind shocked to hear him say that. Pain himself was speechless at hearing those words come from Naruto. _'What is he doing...?' _Pain wondered.

The sound of protest from Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the rest could be heard, but Naruto ignored them as he spoke again. "If killing me will make things better for you, then do it. Remember what I...what you know Naruto said to you before all of this about destroying the Makai Realm."

Hinata's memories recall exactly what he said; that if the Makai Realm was destroyed, then it would also mean the end of this world as both were connected. "Are you saying you don't believe him?" Naruto asked.

Hinata is silent, unable to speak as Naruto continues. "Despite what you think, I didn't kill you. But, it is my fault you died so I might as well been the one who did the deed myself. So, if you really want to kill me, then do it. I won't stop you. In truth, if I did have to die, then I would want you to be the one to kill me..."

"You..." says Hinata, uncertain now. Despite the bracelet trying to remove her doubts from her mind, its power now seems to be failing to be as effective. Still, Hinata places her free hand back into the claw weapon embedded in Naruto's leg and pulls it free, aiming it at his heart. But she doesn't thrust forward. Instead, it just remains stationary though Naruto does notice her hand trembling a little.

"Hinata, stop...you can't..." shouts Pain, preparing to use Banshou Tennin to pull her away should she make a move to strike.

"Hinata..." says Naruto as he reaches up, caressing her cheek. "Before you strike, I ask one last thing of you..."

After a moment, Naruto says "Look into my eyes and tell me you see nothing but the Kyubi and not Naruto, not me looking back at you."

"But how...how can I be sure of the truth? How can I know you won't just be deceiving me?" asked a hesitant Hinata.

Naruto smiles up at her and says "Because our eyes cannot lie. It's all in our eyes, Hinata. When I look into yours, I see the doubt and hesitation there; the uncertainty. You want to believe, want to hope beyond hope. But something is fighting those thoughts; a foreign force that's trying to drive your thoughts and feelings. Now you need to look into mine and tell me what you see reflecting back at you and in that moment, you will know the truth."

"And how can you know that?" asked Hinata.

"Because...I believe in you Hinata. A belief that is born from my feelings for you..." says Naruto.

Hinata does as he suggest; she looks into his eyes. Deep into his eyes where she feels herself being pulled in, like in the past when ever she looked into them. Thoughts, feelings, they all come flooding into her with an unrelenting force. There was no evil or hatred being reflected back. Only love.

"When you were struck down before me, you confessed your true feelings for me, Hinata. And now, I shall do the same. Hinata, I love you" says Naruto tenderly.

A tears escapes Hinata's eyes as her mouth opens and she says "Naruto...?"

And then she's pulled violently away from him, flying at Pain who catches her in his arms. Before she can react, he places a piece of paper with the enslavement seal drawn upon it which causes Hinata's body to go limp as her mind is sent into slumber. "To close..." he says, looking at her.

Naruto only needs a second to process what had just happen before his face contorts into anger. He grabs Hinata's claw weapon that was still in his shoulder and pulls it free, then jumps back to his feet as he screams out "PAIN."

"Your persistence is starting to become annoying" says Pain as Naruto charges at him, ignoring the injury his leg had suffered. "Shinra Tensei."

Naruto is blasted back to Jiraiya and Tsunade, but manages to land on his feet as he skids to a stop. "Naruto-boy, you alright?" asked Fukasaku.

"Yeah, I'm fine for what needs to be done" replied Naruto.

"Let us help you, little bouya" says Shima, but Naruto shakes his head.

"You can't. You need to stay linked with pervy sage until granny Tsunade can finish healing him" says Naruto.

"Naruto, I'm fine. Let them help you" says Jiraiya.

"Hold still, you idiot. With my chakra as low at it is, healing you is taking longer than I'm happy with. And besides, he's right. If lord Fukasaku and lady Shima break from you, you'll lose Sage Mode which is the only thing keeping you going at the moment" says Tsunade.

"I know that, but..." Jiraiya tries to argue.

"Naruto..." comes Kakashi's weak sounding voice. "You know what you need to do. Use that power and save her...the one you love."

"I will" says Naruto as he jumps forward to make some space. "This time, Pain, I will get her back" he shouts as he takes up his invocation stance.

Pain's eyes go wide at seeing this _'Mazuko Mode? I can't let him go there when its just one Realm alone to battle him.'_

Wild orange chakra begins to irradiate around Naruto as the blue of his eyes begin to glow red. "INVO..."

"Banshou Tennin" shouts Pain, pulling Naruto to his with such a suddenness that it breaks Naruto's concentration needed to call upon his Jinchuriki power. A chakra rod then pops out as Pain goes to stab him. "Admit defeat already" shouts Pain.

_'Damn, no time to Invoke now' _thinks Naruto as he fast approaches his foe.

And then, Naruto is grabbed from the air by sand which quickly pulls him back to safety, saving him from both Pain's jutsu and being impaled by the chakra rod. "What...?" says Pain in surprised as Naruto says "This sand? Is it Gaara's?"

Before either can act on this sudden turn of events, even more happen as a wall of bubbles suddenly comes between Naruto and Pain, defending him. Then, two figures land before Naruto as the sand releases him. "Utakata, Gaara? What are you doing here? And how did you even know I was...?"

"Miss Hanabi saw this battle in a vision and we came to help" says Utakata.

"And not just us either" adds Gaara.

"Ichibi and Rokubi have arrived..." says Pain as he goes to move, but finds his feet unresponsive. Looking down, he sees ice forming up to his ankles. "Big brother" comes a voice to his left and he looks to see Moegi running over to join Naruto and the rest. "And the Sanbi too?"

On instinct, he looks up just in time to see Fuu coming down right at him. "You're going down, piercing boy" she shouts while making hand signs.

"Shinra Tensei" says Pain, blasting her off course and slamming her into the ground from which she quickly recovers then moves over to join Naruto as well. "Now five Jinchuriki have arrived on the battlefield. And with only this Pain left, the odds have fallen from being favorable to me."

"Damn right it has. Give up and we'll go easy on you" shouts Fuu.

"Guys, he has Hinata. We need to get her back" says Naruto.

"What?" shouts Fuu, looking at him then back at Pain and sees Hinata being held under one arm and it was obvious to her that Hinata was still alive. "OK boys and girl, lets get him."

"Yeah, there's no way he can handle all five of us" says Moegi as the five Jinchuriki separate and charge Pain from multiple angles.

_'Damn, not enough time to push them all back' _thinks Pain as he still had two seconds left on his power recharge. But luckily for him, it wasn't needed as a swarm of papers comes raining down from the skies, spinning around him like a cyclone and forcing the Jinchuriki back.

"I've come to collect you both" says Konan, forming most of her body as she grabs onto Pain and lifts him into the air.

"You're not leaving here with Hinata" shouts Naruto as Fuu uses her wind style to blast the papers away.

"You know where to find us, Naruto Uzumaki. She will be there, waiting for you as we will be. We look forward to your forthcoming visit" says Pain.

"Oh no you don't" screams Fuu as she shoots into the air to give chase. "Get back here..."

Instead, Pain slams her with another Tensei that sends her crashing into the earth as Konan creates a hundred clones of them with her jutsu, using it as a cover to make a successful escape.

"Thing's didn't go as planned, did they?" asked Konan.

"Even less planned than you can imagine" replies Pain as he looks at Hinata. He had thought she could be used as a weapon against Naruto, but it seemed Naruto had the power to break through any memory alterations that could be done; a testament to the love shared between them. Now, all she could be was bait.

Back at the crater, Naruto stares into the skies as he says "Hinata..."

"Big brother, it's OK. We'll get her back somehow" says Moegi, feeling his sadness.

"Yeah, what Moegi said. We'll head for Ame once we find grandma and..." says Fuu.

"I can't believe it, Hinata's alive" says Naruto, his tone becoming more and more upbeat. "She's really alive. This is so awesome" and with those words, Naruto gives a cheer before breaking into a river dance style happy dance. Naturally, this causes everyone to sweat drop from sheer confusion.

"Naruto, you feeling alright?" asked Gaara.

"You do still remember the current situation, don't you?" asked Utakata.

Naruto stops his dance and looks back at them, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. "Yeah, I haven't forgotten. Hinata's still in enemy hands and even been made to believe that it was me that killed her. And yet, I could care less about either right now. I know its odd, but I'm just so happy to know she's still alive that nothing else seems to matter at the moment. I still have a chance to save her again."

Fuu looks at him for a moment before smiling and saying "Yeah, you're right. Her being alive alone is the most important thing at the moment."

Naruto nods then takes in a deep breath. "OK, back to reality for me now."

"So, what do you want to do then?" asked Fuu.

"What I want to do is give chase, obviously. But what's needed to be done his help out here for right now. Once we can talk with ancient granny, then we'll go save Hinata" says Naruto before he and the other Jinchuriki spread out to begin helping everyone.

**(underground shelters)**

Shizune screams as she pushes with all her might. "Good, Shizune, good. I can see the head now" says the doctor as Shizune stops for a moment to breath, then pushes again. "OK, can you give me one final big push?" asked the doctor and Shizune puts all she has left into that one final push.

For a second, her world goes dark and she loses awareness of everything around her. And then, she hears the sound of crying; a babies cry which brings her back to consciousness. "My baby..." she says weakly.

"Congratulations, Shizune" says the doctor as he and the nurse clean the newborn, then brings it over to Shizune, placing the new life into her arms. "You have a beautiful baby girl now."

"A girl...a little girl?" says Shizune happily. She had been certain she would have a boy and now found herself hoping she didn't inherit her fathers perverted mind.

"She looks like you, luckily" says the nurse as Shizune looks her child over. She then lifts the blanket up a little on the infants head, seeing some white fuzz that indicated she would have her fathers white hair color.

"So, do you have a name for her?" asked the doctor.

"Yeah" says Shizune, her love filled eyes remaining on her daughter. "Yui Shimoto."

Outside the delivery room, in another part of the shelter, Konohamaru looks up and says "The shaking has finally stopped. I hope that means the invasion has ended."

"But what about that massive quake we had a few minutes ago? What do you think that was?" asked Udon.

Before Konohamaru can respond, a loud banging sound is suddenly heard, coming from the entry door which makes both boys jump up and prepare for a possible enemy attack. Around them, the other civilians also prepare for anything. After several more bangs, the door finally collapses and Asuma steps inside followed by several other ninja.

"Uncle Asuma" says Konohamaru, breathing a sigh of relief. "Are you OK?"

Asuma smiles and says "I've been through worse, though I'm sure others would debate that with me."

"Asuma..." says Kurenai as she enters the room, also happy to see her lover safe and sound as she places a hand against the slight baby bumps she was now showing. "What happened up there? Is everyone OK?"

Asuma's look tells her things weren't good as he says "I wish I could say things are great, but the truth is..."

Over the next several hours, the full extent of the damage was assessed. Though the lost of Senhana itself had been a major blow, the seed itself had survived and with any luck could be replanted in time to grow again. As for the loss of life. The village was surprisingly luckier than it had been when Orochimaru had attacked. The total loss of life had been under fifty which, though still sad, was still rather good when you think about it.

Once everyone who was still alive had been accounted four and emergency tents had been set up to be used by the medical teams to heal the injured, Tsunade held a meeting to decide what the villages next action needed to be, which ended up being the finding of a new home.

"There is one possibility we could use, but there's issue with this one" says Homura.

"And what's that?" asked Tsunade, tired and wanting to rest but knowing she couldn't rest yet.

"Casada Forest, the original planned location for Konoha to be located" says Homura.

Tsunade recalls the place from her memories. "I remember seeing it once, a beautiful location though I was surprised to see a forest growing under the ground. Grandfather explained to me the moss upon the walls absorbed sun light through the cracks the moss covered to create beautiful lights that illuminated the cave and the glow shifted from day to night to keep with a proper effect. The natural water spring was also a bonus. But I admit I don't recall why it wasn't ultimately used."

"It was because of one little problem" says Koharu. "There's only one way in or out of this underground forest. If an invasion came, there would be no escape should our ninja be incapable of defending the whole village."

"But that was then, before we had access to jutsu that could tunnel new paths for us to make emergency exits" adds Homura.

Tsunade considers this, then nods and says "Alright, we'll move there. As soon as preparations are made and we can transport everyone safely, we head out."

Down in the shelter, a knock takes Shizune's attention away from Yui as she says "Enter." She smiles happily as she sees Jiraiya walk in, a smile that quickly turns to tears as she sees his missing left arm. "Jiraiya...your arm..."

"I'll be fine" he says as he approaches and sits in the chair by Shizune's bed. "Sorry I wasn't here for the birth" he says.

Shizune shakes her head, saying "You're here now, that's enough for me." She then sits up and says "Here, you new daughter, Yui."

Upon seeing his daughter, Jiraiya feels his heart melt as tears build in his eyes. With some work, Shizune is able to help Jiraiya take her into his arm. As he cradles his daughter, Jiraiya can't help but cry as he says "Thank you, for being born to us my precious Yui."

Back outside, Naruto finish's placing some boxes down, then looks to see Gaara and Utakata working together to lift a rather massive one as bubbles and sand deal with smaller ones. Naruto then sees Shikamaru sitting down and walks over to him. "You doing OK, slacker?" he asked.

"Naruto..." says Shikamaru, still surprised to see his friend here. "It's not like I want to slack off now. But with my broken leg..." he then motions to the crutch leaning on him. "...I'm rather useless right now."

Naruto grins as he says "If you say so, buddy." He then sits down next to Shikamaru. "Master bushy brow just returned from a mission. He was shocked at seeing what happened...Shikamaru, where's Ino at? She's the only one I haven't seen around since I got here and I know she wasn't one of the casualties. Is she away on a mission like master bushy brows was?"

"That's why I've been told; that she was on some long term mission with the details being classified" says Shikamaru.

Hearing the doubt in his friends voice, Naruto looks at him and says "But you aren't so sure are you?"

Shikamaru sighs as he says "I've heard a rumor recently. One I've kept to myself but...I guess I can tell you at least. I've heard that Ino resigned her status as a ninja and has left us...possibly forever."

"What? Why would she do that?" asked Naruto.

Shikamaru looks around to see if anyone is close, then leans in close to Naruto to whisper to him. "Well, I heard that Ino may have..."

"I'm I interrupting anything?" comes a voice making them both jump. They then look behind them and see the owner of the voice, a masked figure wearing a very familiar cloak.

"Akatsuki" shouts Naruto, getting everyone's attention. Immediately, he's on his feet as Gaara and Utakata drop their load so they can join Naruto and Shikamaru gets back up, using his crutch to support himself. Other nearby go to alert the other ninja.

Tobi raises his hands and says "Please,I have come in peace. I only wish to talk with you."

"Like hell you do..." shouts Naruto as he charges the man with a Rasengan flaring to life in his hand. But both Naruto and his attack pass through him as if he wasn't even there.

"What the...?" says a Shikamaru.

"Naruto passed right through him" adds Utakata.

"Can we talk now?" asked Tobi.

Naruto growls as he looks back and says "And what would I have to say to you? The man responsible for my parents deaths?"

"So you know about that, huh? Well then, we really should talk a little" says Tobi.

**To be continued...**


	21. 21 Intermission of Progress

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.21: Intermission of Progress**

"So you know about that, huh? Well then, we really should talk a little" says Tobi as Fuu arrives to join them along with various other Konoha ninja.

"And how can we be sure that you would answer any question's we could ask you truthfully?" asked Fuu.

"You don't, to be honest nor can I give you anything the trust me with. You'll simply have to use your own personal judgment on if you believe me or not" says Tobi.

"Fine, OK. I have a question for you" says Naruto. After a moment of silence, he says "What happened to Hinata to make her think I killed her? When I saw her last, she died in my arms. Was that a mistake on my part and she actually did survive her wounds?"

"Make no mistake, Naruto Uzumaki, she did die from Pain's attack on her. You didn't make a gross judgment in error there. She was dead, no question about it" says Tobi.

"And yet she was here with Pain during the attack, very much alive" points out Utakata.

"Yes, that's right" says Tobi. "After the battle ended and both Fuu her and that old fossil had whisked you away, Naruto, Hinata's body was taken back to Ame, where the true Pain waited" says Tobi.

"The true Pain?" asked Shikamaru.

"Nagato Uzumaki" says Tobi.

"Nagato...Uzumaki?" says Naruto, surprised.

"That's right, Naruto. Nagato is also a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan, much like Tsunade and you are. That makes you clan brothers in a way. Now, back to my explanation. Nagato has the Rinnegan and as such, he can use the various powers connected with it. In this case, he used the two powers of the Rinnegan. First, he used the power of the Human Path to alter her memories of the events that led to her death, instead sealing them away deep inside while creating false memories to take their place, memories that made her see you losing control to Kyubi and killing her. He then used the power of Rinne Tensei to revive her. That is why she thinks you killed her, Naruto. Furthermore, I gave Hinata a bracelet that allows me to know her thoughts and feelings at any given time as well as manipulate them as I see fit to suit my needs" says Tobi.

Naruto's eyes narrow as he clenches his fist and grits his teeth. "You bastard, you're using them."

"Well, of course I am. Hinata is the perfect weapon to use against you after all. After all, how could you ever fight the one you love? Though I admit that didn't go as planned as even with memory alteration and thought/feeling control isn't enough to come between the feelings you both share. In the end, all she's really useful for is to be bait it would seem. And as for Nagato and Konan? They are like glass in a way. After the loss they suffered, they were weak minded and fragile heart-ed, only able to find peace in each others embrace. And when individuals are that vulnerable, it is rather easy to manipulate them and make them think and act as you with them to. After all, a few kind words are more than enough to make the fragile ones obedient slaves" says Tobi, unable to repress a chuckle at his words.

"Damn you..." shouts Naruto as he goes to charge Tobi, but Fuu stops him and shakes her head when he looks back at her. She then looks at Tobi and says "Tell me something. Before, you said this Nagato had the Rinnegan. And it's not just him, but those Pain things as well. Just how is that possible?"

Tobi nods in a sage like fashion, saying "Yeah, I had a feeling this question would come up." After a pause, he says "Oh very well, I don't mind telling you. Not that knowing will matter in the long run anyways. The Rinnegan is known to be the transcended eyes or the god eyes if you prefer. Within known history, the Rinnegan has only manifested once within the one named Musashi Namikaze; the Sage of the Six Paths."

"And yet, he's obviously not the only one" says Gaara.

"True, but you must understand something. The elements needed to cause the Rinnegan to manifest are extremely rare, so rare that it has only happened once as I said before with Musashi. And yet, Nagato has them as well. How you wonder? Because his eyes our the sage's eyes" says Tobi.

"WHAT?" shouts Fuu.

"Long ago, that ancient fossil you call elder Mada was asked by the Sage himself that when he died, to destroy his eyes as they would never rot away like the rest of him would. Instead, she chose to leave them intact because she feared that their power would be needed again one day and as such, they were left in his corpse which was preserved within a special device along with the remains of their fellow allies. Naturally, I found the tomb and took his eyes, transplanting them within Nagato while using genjutsu to change both Nagato and his parents memories so they would believe he had always had the ringed eyes since birth" says Tobi.

"And the Pain themselves?" asked Fuu.

"After much time and research, it became possible to replicate the Rinnegan in its appearance which led to the creation of the six Realms. But there was a problem. None of the eyes possessed any power within them. But, it was discovered that Nagato could transfer the individual powers of the Rinnegan into each Realm; one power for each at the cost of him being able to use that power himself while the Pain were active. But once the Pain went into stand by or if they were destroyed in battle, he would be able to use the powers again himself. Furthermore, each Realm's use of the power they were given was limited. Using God Realm as an example; he could use gravitation and repulsion power but suffered a five second recharge delay after using either before he could use either again. And Ghost could only absorb chakra with his hands, thus leaving him open to attack if both hands were already busy. And while Nagato didn't suffer these limitations himself, he still couldn't use the Rinnegan's power to its maximum without severe consequences being done to his body. Like reviving Hinata cutting into his remaining life expectancy by making him lose one year off his remaining time. Does that answer your question, Shichibi?" asked Tobi.

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Shikamaru.

Tobi smiles beneath his mask as he says "Maybe I'm curious to see how you'd react; what you'll do now with this information in hand. Maybe I was just bored and wanted to have some fun, who knows?"

"Tell me, why did you kill my mother?" asked Naruto, taking everyone by surprise.

"I see, so you know about that too, huh?" says Tobi, sounding generally surprised by this. "Mada really has done her homework, I'm impressed." After a pause, he says "The Uzumaki have an incredible life force, one so strong it gave rise to the Longevity kekkei genkai. Furthermore, your mother also possessed the much rarer chakra sealing chains power. Were you aware of any of this, Naruto?"

Naruto nods, saying "I am."

"Such power is incredibly rare, though I believe you yourself may have it. Regardless, it was a power I wanted and I was going to have it no matter what. And since the Uzumaki's power originates within their hearts, that's what I took from Kushina; her heart. I'm sorry about that but loss is necessary for gain. And just in case your wondering, I was also the one responsible for the Kyubi attacking Konoha that led to your fathers death and you become a Jinchuriki" says Tobi.

"You...I knew it...it was all you" says Naruto, barely able to contain the rage and hatred he was feeling now. He wanted so badly to attack this guy, yet he restrained himself as there was one more thing he knew he needed to ask. "Why, why did you kill my mother and take her heart. Just what is it you are planning? What's your goal in all of this?"

Tobi is silent for a moment, then says "Alright, I will tell you. Knowing won't change anything after all as no one has the power to stop me now. And besides, it's only natural for me to tell you, Naruto. After all, you and I are..."

Tobi stops suddenly, then turns his head to the right. "Now what's she up to I wonder?"

"What? Who are you talking about?" asked Naruto.

Tobi looks back at him and says "Sorry, but I'm afraid our little Q and A session will have to end for now as I have somewhere else I need to be. Perhaps next time, my precious Jinchuriki."

"Wait..." shouts Naruto, wanting to know what he was about to say.

"You're not going anywhere" shouts Fuu as she grows chakra wings from her back, then takes to the skies while zipping towards Tobi. Gaara's sand also shoots from his gourd, catching the masked man in its hold to keep him from fighting back as Fuu goes to knock him out.

"So pointless..." says Tobi as Fuu's attack passes through him and he walks clear of the sand much to everyone's surprise.

"Sorry, but I can't allow myself to be taken out yet. This whole experience would become rather boring if I fell now. Until next..."

"Wait" says Tsunade as she appears on the scene with several Anbu appearing as well, surrounding Tobi.

"Well, well, if it isn't the lovely Tsunade" says Tobi as he examines her. "Boy, the rumors weren't lying. You really are a perfect E-cup aren't you. Not that girls like you interest me as I'm more a loli lover myself."

"Who cares about that" says Tsunade. "What makes you think you can get away?"

"What makes you think you can stop me?" counters Tobi. "I see you're still the same as back then."

"Just who are you?" asked Tsunade, curious about what he had just said.

Tobi is silent for but a moment, then he chuckles which turns into a laugh. "Who am I? Surely you must remember me, princess? We have met before after all, when you were still young and latching onto Hashirama's knee's do to being shy. It is me...Madara Uchiha."

Tsunade subconsciously takes a step back, her knees suddenly feeling weak as sweat drops down from her brow. Her eyes are wide with shock and she bites her lower lip to calm herself. Around her, other ninja who know of Madara's reputation have similar reactions. "Impossible...there's no way. Madara is dead. My grandfather defeated him at the Final Valley and he was pulled into the Makai Realm by the Kyubi, never to return."

"Really? Are you absolutely sure of that, my dear? You weren't there, were you? So how can you be sure that's really what happened?" asked Tobi. When Tsunade doesn't respond, he sighs and says "Believe me or not, its your choice. But if you really want to know for certain, then there's only one option open to you. Go into the Makai Realm; to Kyubi's Throne, and see for yourself."

And with that, Tobi begins to fade away, his body being sucked into a distortion of space centered in his right eye. "Naruto, we shall meet again and that is a meeting I'm very much looking forward to." And with those words, Tobi vanishes from their sight.

"I can no longer sense that man's presence, lady Hokage" says one of the Anbu.

Tsunade curses at her own weakness, letting him get to her like that and using the moment to escape. "Get word out to all shinobi to keep an eye out for that one while continuing to prepare for the move."

All the Anbu nod before taking off to alert the rest and Tsunade approach Naruto and ask "What did he want and what did he tell you?"

Before Naruto can respond, another voice speaks up "Naruto, you're OK?"

Everyone turns to see Hanabi standing a few yards away, breathing heavily a little with sweat falling from her face. It was obvious she had been running for quite a while without resting and was really winded.

"Actually, can you tell me, Fuu?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah, I don't mind. Besides, Naruto and Hanabi need some alone time now anyways" says Fuu as she and Tsunade walk off with the others gathered around also take off to give them some space.

Once it was just the two of them, Naruto speaks first, asking "Hanabi, what are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you, Naruto, because of my vision and I wanted to help if I could. After all, I have been training with master and all. But, it seems I'm a bit late, huh? Goes to show I still have a long way to go before I can be of use to you" says Hanabi.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Hana. Don't forget, you did pretty well when we faced those phantoms. You're just not use to long distance traveling yet. Time will help you build your stamina and endurance for that" says Naruto before he realizes how Hanabi was dressed.

"Thank you, Naruto. I hope you're right...Naruto, what's wrong. Why are you blushing?" asked Hanabi.

Naruto looks away, scratching his chin from embarrassment as he says "Hanabi, you're still wearing your night dress..."

Hanabi's cheeks flare up as she recalls she hadn't changed before heading out. Looking down, her cheeks become even more red when she sees the sweat had soaked her top, making it ever so slightly transparent. She squeals from her own embarrassment and hopes to Kami no one saw her besides Naruto. She then realizes a shadow had fallen over her and looks up to see Naruto had pulled his sage jacket off and was wrapping it around her. She grips the sides and hugs it firmly in order to cover herself up. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto then kneels down before her and says "Hanabi, I have something I need to tell you. Something amazing has happened."

"What is it, Naruto?" she asked.

"It's Hinata..." says Naruto, unable to repress a smile from forming. "She's alive, Hanabi."

Hanabi's eyes go wide from hearing this, her mouth hangs open ajar as her brain processes what she had just heard. "Hinata...my sister...she's..."

Naruto nods as his eyes tear up. "She's alive" he says again.

Hanabi feels tears falling from her cheeks as well as her ajar mouth turns into a smile and she then hugs Naruto, crying into his shoulder. "My sister's alive...she's alive...I'm so happy..."

Naruto hugs her back, allowing his own tears to fall as he joins Hanabi in their shared reverie.

**(Ame)**

Sakuya stood over the comatose body of Chiyo, looking down at her old master. Her eyes then shift to the bottle that contained the potion that was responsible for her coma which she then drops to the floor. She then looks at her other hand which held an eye dropper that held the last remnants of the liquid from the bottle. The time had come for her to make a decision.

Just then, there's a swirling behind her that she feels, making her turn as Tobi appears before you. "You...what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just checking in" says Tobi who's eye quickly falls upon the eye dropper, then the bottle on the floor. "I see you're about to give her the last dosage. Are you sure you wish to do that? With all that she's been given up till now to keep her under, the effects will last for another six months before she can awaken. But if you give her that last bit..."

Sakuya turns back to look at Chiyo and says "Yeah, I know. Then she will never wake up again." After that, Sakuya just stands there for what felt like an eternity before she makes her decision. Reaching out with one hand, she opens Chiyo's mouth while using the other to position the dropper.

"I'm sorry, lady Chiyo. But I now know there's no turning back for me. And you...will only get in the way if you were to awaken." She then applies pressure to the dropper, forcing the remaining liquid to pour out into her mouth. "Sleep well, former high mother Chiyo of the Order of Ama."

Tobi looks at her for a moment before saying "I must admit, I never believed you would have it in you to do something like this. Most impressive...and a little bit scary too."

"I do what I must for the sake of the world" says Sakuya.

"I see..." says Tobi before placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's something I want to show you."

Before Sakuya can speak or object, she finds herself being sucked into a distortion. When she emerges, she finds herself and Tobi standing in a strange room filled with many glowing tanks; some small and some big enough to hold people in. "Where are we?" she asked.

"My private chambers" says Tobi before walking forward with Sakuya following after her. "You should feel honored as I almost never allow anyone access to this place. Even Nagato and Konan don't know it exist. In fact, apart from me and Zetsu, no one else knows about this place."

"Why haven't you told Nagato and Konan about this place? And why show me?" asked Sakuya.

"I show you because I feel you are a lot like me in many ways. And as for Nagato and Konan not being in the know about this place? It's simply my personal fear that if they knew about this place and it's purpose, they would have second thoughts about the mission they have undertaken" says Tobi.

"And just what is this place for?" asked Sakuya.

"A place meant for the rebirth of the world; a place that will bring a new beginning for everyone. That;s all I can say for now" says Tobi as he stops before a tank with a near naked girl floating inside it.

Sakuya stops and looks inside and ask "Is she dead?"

Tobi shakes his head, then says "No, she's alive. The device covering her nose and mouth are feeding her both air and nourishment to sustain her body while also keeping her asleep."

"Who is she?" asked Sakuya.

"Her name is Sora and she is, or maybe I should say was, a kunoichi of the Kiri hidden village" says Tobi.

"And why is she here in this tank, being kept sedated like this?" asked Sakuya.

"Because of her power" says Tobi. "You see, she possess a rather unique kekkei genkai that has never manifested in someone before. This blood limit is called Chakra Canceler. With it, she can cancel out any and all chakra usage within a one mile radius all around her. This means no ninjutsu, genjutsu, and chakra enhanced taijutsu within her field when active. Imagine the power in that, to take away anyone's power, even a Biju's. And best of all, she alone isn't effected by this making her unbeatable in combat. Pain collected her during the Shadow Test and I had hoped of duplicating her power to be used for the greater good of the world, but it would seem that is impossible. So, I've simply kept her here for her own safety till a time comes when she will be needed."

"But why like this?" asked Sakuya.

"She...is difficult to keep in check and because she was...in a relationship with the Rokubi Jinchuriki from what I hear, thus this was necessary after she found out what our aim here is" says Tobi.

Sakuya's face darkens as she looks at Sora and says "I understand."

Tobi smirks as he continues walking. That was a lie, of course, as he had no idea if Sora and Utakata even knew each other, let alone had any sort of relationship apart from being fellow ninja of Kiri. He had just said that cause he knew it would make Sakuya stop asking questions about it.

Soon, they arrived at the far end of the room and stood before a door with ancient writing upon it. "What does it say?" she asked.

"Only the worthy may pass" says Tobi before pressing several keys on a glowing pad by the door, making it slide open. Once they were inside the pitch black room and the door closed behind them, the sole object lit up; another tank which contained a body inside it.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"This is the salvation of the world" says Tobi as he turns to her and pulls his mask off.

Sakuya blushes as her eyes look away shyly. In her thoughts, she couldn't help but find this guy cute in a way. "You and me are so much alike, Sakuya, that I felt I could show you all of this."

"Why..." she asked, looking into his eyes and noticing his left eye was different than the right.

"Because, you remind me of my first love; the one I shared everything with. And like her, you have had to sacrifice so much and endure such hardship and heartache, just like I myself had to" says Tobi.

Sakuya's blush increases as she finds her heart racing which surprises her. She hadn't felt like this since...since those innocent days with Bartz before he become a monster. She had given up on love or so she had believed. But was love really so lost to her? Could it really have another chance with him?

"Sakuya, would it be wrong of me to want to find comfort in you...to escape the pain of my past?" asked Tobi.

Sakuya shakes her head and says "Not if I can do the same as well with you..." And with that, they embrace in a heated, passionate kiss.

_'Fragile heart and weak minded make such an easy to control target to control and now...she will be loyal to me first and foremost over her dear childhood friends' _thinks Tobi as the kiss breaks and he warps them to a more comfortable and private location to continue this moment.

**(Casada Forest; the next day)**

The move had been quick and without incident and, thanks to Yamato and the power of Mokuton, homes and other needed items the people of Konoha would need had been constructed quickly and things were beginning to get back to normal for the village.

Crops had been planted and several earth style users were already at work building both an emergency escape tunnel and shelters connected to these tunnels in case of invasion. And now, all that was left was to decide on what should be done next.

"Can I come in?" asked Naruto, opening the door to Jiraiya and Shizune's place.

"Sure, you can come in" says Jiraiya.

Once inside, Naruto sees Shizune sitting in a chair rocking gently as Jiraiya practices manipulating the new prosthetic arm Tsunade had fashion for him that used chakra signals to control all joint movement. While still needing some work, Jiraiya was glad to see it was easier than sage training.

"You guys doing good?" asked Naruto.

"You know we are so quit beating around the bush and come over and say high to your new god daughter, Naruto" says Jiraiya.

Naruto does and Shizune shifts a little to make it easier for him to see Yui. "She's really cute" says Naruto, who then smirks as he looks at Jiraiya and adds "Luckily, she looks like her mom."

"Why do people keep saying that?" complains Jiraiya. "I'd like to think I'd make a hot chick."

"If you say so, dear" says Shizune, making Jiraiya pout from her obvious non-believing tone. "Naruto, would you like to hold her?"

"Can I?" asked Naruto, getting a nod. Naruto then sits in a chair as Shizune gets up and carefully lays Yui in his arms. "Watch her head now" says Shizune as she pulls away.

Naruto holds the infant and finds himself being filled with feelings he had never felt before, making him smile like an idiot as he looks at her. He wondered if this is how a parent feels when they hold their child? "She seems to like being held by her godfather" teased Shizune.

"How can you tell?" asked Naruto.

"A mother knows these things, trust me" says Shizune. "Bu the way, I have a request for you."

Naruto looks at her and ask "Anything."

"Some day, she will be old enough to learn about the ninja life. If she decided to follow that path, I was wondering if you would be her teacher" says Shizune.

"Me? Are you sure about that?" asked Naruto.

Shizune nods and says "Jiraiya taught you and he is your godfather so you teaching his daughter seems to feel right to me."

Naruto looks back at Yui, smiles, and says "Alright, I'll become her sensei when the time comes."

An hour later, Naruto enters his new home and finds Hanabi finishing up making dinner for them. After eating, they head outside and sit on the bench across from Naruto's place and look up at the moss and marveling at hos it looked like a milky way and stars.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Hanabi.

"About Hinata?" asked Naruto, looking at her and getting a nod. He looks back into the sky and says "What I want is to go to Ame right now and get her back, but that's what the enemy wants and doing so would only end with them capturing us. I want to ask ancient granny for advice, but you told me she had taken off somewhere and don't know when she'll be back."

"Yeah..." says Hanabi, wishing she knew how to contact Mada.

"All we can do is be patient and wait...which I really can't do..." says Naruto as he stands suddenly.

"Naruto?" asked Hanabi as she stands as well.

"I have an idea, but it's a long shot..."

The next morning, Fuu yawns as she awakens from the guest house she and the others had been given. Looking back inside, she can't help but laugh at seeing Moegi's sleeping position and wondered how'd she would react when she learned Hanabi had stayed with Naruto so they could talk. Speaking of...

"Hey, Hanabi. Where's Naruto?" she asked as she saw said girl coming towards the guest house.

"Well..." says Hanabi, knowing Fuu was about to have a temper tantrum.

**(Oto)**

A sudden explosion shakes the upper entry area of Orochimaru's hidden underground village, making the Sound Four go on alert, racing to the entrance and finding lower ranked Oto ninja laying unmoving on the ground with rubble all over the place. "Who did this?" shouts Kidomaru.

Foot steps ring out as a figure emerges from a cloud of smoke. With his sage jacket fluttering from the incoming breeze, Naruto looks at the four loyal dogs of Orochimaru's and ask one simple question.

"Where's Orochimaru?"

**to be continued...**

**AN: **Bad news Invoke readers. This will be the last chapter of Invoke I will be releasing till June as I will be giving my full attention to **Rave Master Naruto** during the month of May (which is to be expected seeing how far behind I am with that fiction).

Sorry about that.

But below I will list the names of the next several chapters you can be expecting to see released come June.

**Chpt. 22: Bad-ass Syndrome**

**Chpt. 23: The True Sanctuary's Name**

**Chpt. 24: Return to Your Hell**

**Chpt. 25: Beyond the Mask **(working title; Mada vs Tobi chapter)

And beyond that? The return of Tenten, the Immortals strike, Hinata's awakening, and the return to Antana.


	22. 22 Bad-ass Syndrome

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.22: Bad-ass Syndrome**

It was another, quiet, peaceful morning in Konoha, well as quiet and peaceful as one could expect given recent events. But it was still a nice calming peace all the same. To bad it had to spoiled by one person's reaction to some unexpected news.

"HE WHAT" shrieks out Fuu, not believing what she had just heard from Hanabi.

"Fuu, do you really need to be so loud?" asked Hanabi, cringing a little as her hands automatically rise to cover her ringing ears. "I'm sure there are still people trying to sleep..."

"Who cares about that right now" counters Fuu, obviously to mad now to concern herself with, in her mind, such minor details. "Your telling me Naruto was actually crazy enough to go to see Orochimaru just to get some information? That's insane, Hanabi. I mean...why didn't you try to talk him out of it?"

Hanabi is quiet for a moment, then says "Because I really wanted to go with him. Because I know how he feels right now."

Fuu smacks her head, saying "Oh, that's just great. I know you both want to find a way to go save Hinata and all but this is just going to..."

She doesn't finish as she feels her face being slapped. But it wasn't Hanabi who had slapped her but Moegi who had done it. Fuu rubs her sore cheek as she looks at Moegi, obviously shocked, and ask "Why did you do that for?"

"Because you were getting to hysterical. You need to calm down and think things through" says Moegi, surprisingly calm all things considered.

Hearing this makes Fuu blink as she hadn't expected to hear THAT from Moegi of all people. "It's because they want to save Hinata as soon as possible that they would be willing to go see even someone like Orochimaru. If he can give us any information while we await ancient grannies return, then we shouldn't deny the chance to obtain it."

"But what about that snake man's price as you know he'll want something in return" points out Fuu. "Plus, we can't be sure anything he'll say will be true anyways."

"As big brother is right now, do you really think he'd take no for an answer from that man? And as far as a price goes, I think big brother will offer that snake a choice; either give him what he wants and he'll leave peacefully or not and pay for what he did to Konoha before right then and there. And as for if he's telling the truth or not? Well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it" says Moegi.

Fuu looks at her and at Hanabi before raking her hair with her fingers, growling out her annoyance with them. She needed to get Gaara and Utakata out here and hope they agreed with her. "You're all a bunch of idiots."

"And why would that be?" asked a familiar voice, making them all spin towards the source.

"Grandma..." says Fuu, not expecting to see Mada here. "When did...how did you even?"

Mada raises her hand to stop her questions, saying "I arrived a few minutes ago and found you you from hearing you make all that noise, Fuu. As far as how I knew you all were here? Well, tracking all of you is a rather easy task for one of my abilities."

"Now, will you mind telling me what's going on? And what happened to Senhana..."

**(Naruto)**

"Where's Orochimaru?" asked Naruto to the Sound Four as they approached him.

"First, tell us why you came here. Konoha dog?" asked Jirobo as he and the others looked down at Naruto.

"I am no longer connected with Konoha...as a active ninja" replies Naruto matter of factly.

"That is not the issue; we're asking why you have come here" said Kidomaru.

"Is it to get revenge on lord Orochimaru and us for what we did to Konoha?" further asked Tayuya.

"I do have business with Orochimaru; so either take me to him or step aside" replied Naruto.

"Cheeky brat. You are in no position to be making such grandiose commands unto us" said Sakon.

Naruto looks up at them, his face showing his seriousness, as he says "I'll make you take me to him."

The four Oto nin become angry at those words before spreading out to surround Naruto from all sides. Naruto just turns his head and shifts his body enough to view each one before sighing and saying "I guess this was unavoidable; oh well."

"You really want us to take you to lord Orochimaru?" asked Tayuya.

"Fine then, we'll take you to him..." said Jirobo.

"In pieces" finish's Kidomaru before spitting his web from his mouth; aimed at Naruto.

Naruto simply shifts his body; allowing the webbing to fly past him. He then grabs hold of the web before looking up at Kidomaru and says "Don't be shy", then yanks on the webbing hard to causing Kidomaru to be flung down towards him.

_'Damn, he's improved since that last time' _thinks Kidomaru as he prepares to counter attack.

"Sorry, but that won't work" said Naruto, seeing Kidomaru's hand signs.

Then, using his free hand, Naruto makes a hand sign himself and says in a quiet voice "Release."

Kidomaru sees Naruto's body pulse for a second, but grabs onto his web and tries to swing around Naruto while wrapping the webbing around his neck with plans to choke him to death. But Naruto raises his left arm up and close lines Kidomaru; sending him into the ground.

"What?" shouts Kidomaru before Naruto picks him up and effortlessly tosses him a good hundred feet back and sending him crashing through a wall.

"No way..." shouts Tayuya.

"That brat just got lucky" says Jirobo before jumping down onto the ground, then charges at Naruto.

Just as Jirobo gets close, Naruto turns calmly to look at him before moving at incredible speed granted through using Wind style; Swift Sprint, and grabs Jirobo's face and lifts him into the air. As Jirobo struggles to get free, Naruto slams him into the ground with enough force to create a crater.

Sakon then jumps down, but doesn't go at Naruto. Instead, he ask "How the hell are you doing this?"

Naruto turns to look at him and in doing so, Sakon gets his answer just by looking at Naruto. "So that's it. You entered Sage Mode somehow."

"A shadow clone I made before coming in here. I released it while the web head was falling towards me" explained Naruto.

Sakon remembers Naruto making a hand sign just before plowing Kidomaru into the ground. "I see. We had heard that Jiraiya had taken you under his wing; trained you to become his successor as a Sage. But seeing you as such is rather unexpected."

"Will you take me to see your boss now? Or do I have to encourage your cooperation?" asked Naruto.

Sakon chuckles a little before saying"Don't tell me you actually believed seeing you as a Sage would really make us cower in fear and take you to see our lord? Though I admit that this is a troublesome turn of events. It is also nothing that we can't handle."

At his words, Jirobo rolls away from Naruto, then gets back on his feet and moves to stand by Sakon while Tayuya jumps down to join them. Kidomaru also emerges from the hole in the wall and joins them as well.

"So, you think stage two of the curse mark will work against me?" asked Naruto.

"No, the second stage wouldn't be enough" said Ukon as he separates from Sakon's back.

"So that's why..." said Kidomaru.

"We'll take it into..." said Jirobo.

"The THIRD STATE" shouts Tayuya as they each jump into the air and away from each other while black tendrils burst forth from their curse marks and wrap around their bodies like cocoons.

Naruto squints his Sage eyes as he thinks _'Their chakra's are increasing at an exponential rate; filling with so much negative energy and animosity, such hate and evil.'_

After a few tense seconds, cracks appear on the enlarged cocoons before they burst open and release their owners, who land on the ground. The sight of them fills Naruto with disgust as he takes up a stance that will allow him to better counter attack.

Jirobo had transformed into a massive and bulky golem like creature that was at least three times Naruto's size. His skin looked to be made of a coal like armor.

Kidomaru had morphed into a spider who's eight legs looks like rolled out pieces of paper. His head was oval shaped and covered in spikes and his body was long and thin like a missile.

Tayuya appeared the most human of them; her long slender body with very long legs that ended in points instead of feet. Her arms were slim at the shoulders, but grew into wide hands. She seemed to be floating somehow and her head had snake like hair and long pointed imp like ears.

Both Sakon and Ukon had morphed into what appeared to be one winged gargoyle like beast. And as they did in their other states; they appeared to be mirror images of one another. Weirdest was the fact they had holes in the center of their chest, yet appeared to be unaffected by it.

"I'll ask once more; take me to your boss and we can avoid any unneeded difficulties" said Naruto.

"**Avoid any unneeded difficulties? Don't make us laugh" **shouts Kidomaru before launching himself into the air, spinning rapidly as he did so, and made a beeline towards Naruto.

Tayuya growls at Naruto before the lines along her body light up and she vanishes from sight. Both Sakon and Ukon began to fly in a circular motion over Naruto while Jirobo slams his massive fist together as he prepares for his attack.

Kidomaru controls him movement through the air, shifting his movements as he comes down at Naruto. Building up Sage chakra into his feet, Naruto jumps clear as Kidomaru comes zooming past him. As Naruto comes to land on the ground again, he sees Kidomaru's body stop spinning as his paper thin legs suddenly shoot outwards at him.

"What...?" shouts Naruto before the legs come in and wrap around him, pinning his arms to his body and his legs together.

"**Welcome to my web, said the spider man to the brat. Now, time to finish you" **says Kidomaru as he opens his massive maw of a mouth and unleashes an alarming amount of silver colored webbing.

The webbing hits Naruto, covering him from head to toe till his body was completely in cased within the silver cocoon. Satisfied, Kidomaru breaks the still exposed parts of his legs away and draws them back close to his body.

"**Now, time to have myself a...WHAT?" **shouts Kidomaru as the silver cocoon starts to shake, then a blade of emerald green chakra slices out of the cocoon, then up till the cocoon splits in half.

"Is that all?" asked Naruto as he takes the Shift Anchor in his hand and begins to spin it around his finger via the small loop at the end of the hilt.

Kidomaru roars as he sends his paper thin legs racing down at Naruto again while Sakon and Ukon also move to attack him.

"Just give it up; you can't win" said Naruto who returns to the Shift Anchor to it's holding place within the right sleeve of his sage garment. He then raises his right arm into the air; a ball of spiraling chakra forming followed by four energy blades emerging from the sphere.

Sakon and Ukon stops as they see the massive energy shuriken; knowing that it was dangerous just from looking at it. Kidomaru, on the other hand, ignores to obvious signs and keeps his attack at Naruto coming.

"Wind style Rasengan; Rasenshuriken" says Naruto calmly before launching the attack at Kidomaru.

The paper thin legs of Kidomaru's spider form are caught in the spinning and spiraling attack and are instantly destroyed by it. Kidomaru finally realizes the danger and tries to back away, but he finds his body being sucked closer to the shuriken as his legs were pulling him in.

"**NO, IMPOSSIBLE. YOU CAN'T BE THIS STRONG" **screams Kidomaru as he is sucked into the shuriken.

The moment his body touches the blades, the energy attack expands and sucks him into the center. Kidomaru's scream is drowned out by the sound of millions of microscopic Rasengan's rip into his body. Finally, the attack comes to an end and the shredded remains of Kidomaru falls onto the ground.

"That's one down" said Naruto as he looks up at the twin gargoyles.

"**You bastard; how dare you make a mockery of lord Orochimaru's gift" **shouts Jirobo in his deep, booming voice.

A pulse of energy passes through his massive, rocky arms that passes into the ground and slices a large sized chunk of it free. Then, digging into the earth, Jirobo pulls the massive piece of earth free from the ground and lifts it into the air over his body.

"Well, you certainly are strong" said Naruto as he braced himself with his feet digging into the ground.

"**Now to squash you like the bug you are" **says Jirobo as he tosses the massive piece of earth at Naruto.

Naruto shouts out a battle cry as he brings both his hands out before his body, further bracing himself to try to block the attack. The chunk of earth crash into Naruto, creating a thunderous crash as the ground shakes from the impact.

"**That ended his bravado" **said Jirobo.

"**Wait, something is happening" **said Sakon as the chunk of earth begins to shake.

Then, to their surprise and astonishment, the massive chunk is lifted into the air. Naruto then appears, holding the earth with a single hand and a smirk on his face as he looks at Jirobo.

"Excuse me; is this you?" asked Naruto, a grin on his face.

"**DAMN YOU" **bellows Jirobo before charging forward, slowly due to his added weight, at Naruto.

"I guess so. Here, then let me return it to you" said Naruto before shifting his position, brings his right hand back, then thrust forward and sends the chunk flying back at Jirobo.

The giant Oto nin tries to block it like Naruto had somehow done before. But when the chunk of earth hits him, it impacts with so much force that both it and Jirobo go sailing back and crashing through a wall. Only a small part of his body was still visible; the rest had been crushed from the result of action.

Naruto looks up at Sakon and Ukon and ask "Well, ready to play ball now?"

**(within Orochimaru's private chambers)**

The sudden and violent shakes in his layer had not gone unnoticed by the snake Sannin who gets up from his chair and walks towards the door. Before taking his fifth step, the door opens and Kabuto enters the room.

"Kabuto, mind telling me what is going on?" asked Orochimaru.

"It would seem that we have an unexpected visitor. The Four Wave's have engaged him in combat and from what I can sense, they have entered the third state" said Kabuto.

"Most intriguing" said Orochimaru as he smiled deviously.

"Perhaps, but that does make me feel some concern here. After all, once entered into the third state, one can never revert back to their original self. For the Four Waves to go this far; just what kind of enemy would force them to sacrifice their humanity?" asked Kabuto.

"An enemy I would very much like to meet" said Orochimaru in anticipation. "Where is Kimimaro?"

"I believe he's already gone to investigate himself" said Kabuto.

"Then we better hurry or we'll miss all of the fun" said Orochimaru as he and Kabuto turn and exit the room.

**(back with Naruto and the Four Wave's)**

Seeing as the two gargoyle wannabe's were still holding their tongues, Naruto decided to force the issue. But just as he takes a step, a sudden flash of light appears next to his left arm, just above the elbow, followed by a deep cut appearing in his clothes and blood bursting forth from the cut.

_'What?' _thinks Naruto before another flash occurs on his right leg running down.

Another burst of blood occurs before Naruto collapses to his knee. At first, Naruto is confused by what was happening. Then he remembers the girl having disappeared before and realizing that she must be doing it.

_'OK Naruto, just stay calm and think. First, did she just make herself invisible or is she moving incredibly fast? Judging from the injuries she's inflicting on me, it has to be the latter as while I'm in Sage Mode, cutting me like this would be extremely difficult' _thought Naruto as he calmed himself.

Having figured that part, the next step was how to counter her; assuming his guess was right. Throwing his arms up to cover his face as he slightly hunch's forward, Naruto closes his eyes and reaches out with his sensory abilities. And from this, he is able to pick her up all over the opened area.

_'Guess I was right about the speed power' _thought Naruto as he went to the next step.

As Tayuya pelts him with more strikes that sent blood shooting out, Naruto sees a pattern forming with her movement. Before each attack, she would always come at him in a straight line. As she hits him with another strike, Naruto begins to form a Rasengan in one hand.

After detecting her circling around and coming at him again, Naruto spins around and brings the Rasengan in line with her movement just in time for Tayuya to run into it before she could dodge around. She howls in pain as she's sent flying back; slamming into a wall.

"**We got you, now" **shouts Sakon as he swoops in and fires a beam of chakra from the hole in his chest.

Naruto barely jumps clear in time before the beam slams into the ground, destroying everything in that spot. Just as he lands, Naruto sees Ukon come at him from another angle and fires off his own chakra beam. Naruto jumps again, only to find himself being hit by another beam sent out by Sakon.

As Naruto tries to get back on his feet, thanking Kami that he was still in Sage Mode or that would have killed him outright, notices Sakon and Ukon come around and take up positions to fire on him again.

_'Damn, I'm almost of of Sage Chakra. I better make this attack count' _thinks Naruto as the two brothers fire their attacks at him.

Naruto uses his left hand to propel himself into the air to avoid the attack, but the beams follow after him; thus letting Naruto know they could likely be hit by the others attack without consequence.

Naruto comes to a stop between them and crosses his hands over his chest as he gathers his Sage chakra together for this final jutsu. As the chakra beams come upon Naruto, he shouts out...

"Sage art: Nature Pulse."

Naruto throws his arms outwards and unleashes a pulse of chakra like a bubble outwards. The chakra pulse slams into Sakon and Ukon, sending them flying back and impacting them into the wall/ceiling. Naruto falls back to the ground, breathing heavily as he feels his Sage Mode starting to fade out.

"Well, at least I dealt with them" said Naruto as he starts to get back to his feet.

"Impressive. I didn't expect you to beat them when the were tapping into the third state" came a voice that makes Naruto spin around.

Just in time for him to be impaled through the stomach by a large bone spike. Naruto coughs up blood as he finds himself back on the ground, stuck there. Four more bone spikes come raining down and pin Naruto's hands and feet to the ground as well. And then, Kimimaro appears within view.

"Its been a while" said Kimimaro as he looks down at Naruto.

Naruto, despite the pain, recognizes Kimimaro immediately and says "You, you're the one I battled during the invasion of Konoha."

Kimimaro nods and says "You remember; I'm honored. So, you came for lord Orochimaru?"

"That's right" said Naruto as he tries, in vain, to free himself.

"Then I must kill you then" said Kimimaro as he reaches into his garments and pulls out a metal ball. He then lights the fuse and tosses it down at Naruto. A second later, the metal ball explodes.

"I am sorry for this. After all, I did owe you a debt" said Kimimaro as he turns to leave.

But before he could take a step, a blast of energy erupts from the smoke made by the explosion; making Kimimaro turn back in time to see Naruto shoot out of the smoke into the sky.

"So, you survived some how. Did you enter Sage Mode again?"

A second later, Naruto turns to look at Kimimaro; revealing his Kyu Mask and his red irises and slit like pupils. A second later, a cloak of red/orange chakra forms around Naruto followed by three chakra tails rising up out of the cloak.

"Now I see. You are, after all, a Jinchurriki first and foremost. So, this will be a little more difficult than one would imagine" said Kimimaro as he activates his curse mark and enters the second stage.

Looking down and seeing Kimimaro's skin turn brown and a tail growing out, Naruto growls as he thinks _'Its been a while since I last used this power. I hope I'm not rusty._

"_**So, are we ready to begin our battle?" **_asked Kimimaro.

"**Before we begin, I have a question for you"** asked Naruto.

"_**And that would be?" **_asked Kimimaro.

"**Before, you said you owed me a debt. What did you mean by that?" **asked Naruto.

"_**When we last battled, I ran you through with one of my bone weapons. When I did this, a pulse of your demonic chakra shot into me. That chakra apparently cured me of my terminal illness. For that, I owe you a debt; even if that was a fluke" **_said Kimimaro.

"**If you take me to see Orochimaru, then I'll consider that debt repayed. Not that you owe me anything" **said Naruto.

"_**I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that. If you want my lord, then you'll have to kill me" **_said Kimimaro.

"**Have it your way" **said Naruto as he released both Shift Anchor's from his sleeves, grabbing them and forming deep red chakra blades from the center of the tri-blades..

Kimimaro, in response, creates a single long bone staff and readies it to counter attack.

Naruto first shoots towards the ground, landing on his feet and then rushing at Kimimaro. In turn, Kimimaro comes at Naruto, bringing his staff around in a swing and connecting it against Naruto's twin chakra blade strikes. For a split second, the two strikes push against each other, then Naruto's blades slice through the bone staff and Kimimaro is just barely able to move enough to keep from being hit.

He jumps back, trying to form another bone based weapon. But Naruto is on him faster than he can blink, bringing around a kick that nails Kimimaro in his gut, the force of which sending Orochimaru's best fighter crashing through a wall in out into the massive catacomb that made up the Hidden Village.

Kimimaro somehow recovers as he aims both his hands and fires a volley of bone projectiles at Naruto. But this also proves ineffective as Naruto just swats them away with little effort. As Kimimaro finally reaches the ground, he looks up at Naruto, getting annoyed.

He was far different that he had been before. Now he was stronger, more focused, and obviously better skilled. And what ever her true reason for coming here was, it was obvious he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way and stop him from getting to his goal.

"So, are you ready to play ball yet?" asked Naruto.

"_**There will be no playing ball" **_says Kimimaro as he cross's his hands over his chest. Chakra begins to visibly gather around him as he starts to tap into the curse marks power. He had no choice now. It was time for the Third State. **_"Now then, allow me to show you my true form and power..."_**

"That won't be necessary, Kimimaro" says Orochimaru as he comes walking up. "If he is truly so intent on seeing me, then I would be a bad host to not entertain him and find out why he has come here." Kabuto, meanwhile, was keeping himself concealed as he still wanted Naruto to think him a friend from Kiri and not a secret ally to Orochimaru.

"My lord..." says Kimimaro as the chakra swelling around him calms and fades.

Orochimaru then passes by him and looks up at Naruto, smiling deviously as Naruto jumps from the upper hole and floats down to face him directly.

**(Konoha)**

A gentle hand shake begins to stir Tsunade from her sleep. She groans as she lazily says "Go away...", an arm raising up and out to shoo the person away.

"I'm sorry, but I need to ask you something" comes the voice of the person.

"Don't wanna, sleepy" grumbles Tsunade as she grabs the covers and pulls them up over her head.

"Do I need to bring Jiraiya in here and wake you up?" asked the person who then leans in and whispers into Tsunade's ear "Like only he could and I know you know what I'm referring to."

Tsunade groans as she opens her eyes and sits up, then going and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she says "Our past is no business of yours, even if him being my partner for my kunoichi training isn't exactly a secret. Besides, he's moved on and found a life and family with...lady Mada?"

Tsunade blinks in surprise, now realizing why the voice had sounded so familiar to her. "Actually, I think you meant Shizune there, huh?" notes Mada.

"My appalogies, elder. I didn't know that you had come and..." says Tsunade as she was starting to panic; mainly from the fear of what Mada might do to her for causing Senhana's loss.

"Relax, child" says Mada. "I didn't know I would be coming here till I was...well, coming" joked Mada. "I've already been informed on what went down. I'm glad to know the there were so few lost during the attack."

"Thank you for that..." says Tsunade. "But you must be mad that Senhana was..."

Mada shakes her head, then says "These things happen, dear, We can't always be assured that we can stop it. But I need to know about the seed. Did you bring it with you?"

Tsunade nods, saying "Yes. I have it stored in a safe place for now until I can think of what I can do for it."

"Then give it to me and I'll take care of the rest" says Mada.

"Of course, give me a moment to dress" says Tsunade as she gets up. "What do you plan on doing with it if I may ask?"

"I'm...gonna take her home..."

**(Naruto)**

Naruto finally touches down on the ground and, to everyone's surprise, leaves his Mazuko Mode and returns to normal. "Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Kimimaro. "We could use this moment to attack you again?"

"I'll manage if that happens" says Naruto.

That makes Orochimaru chuckle a bit. "So, why have you come here seeking me? Is it for revenge?"

Naruto shakes his head and says "I admit that I would enjoy making you pay for what you have done. But no, I did not come here for revenge...not this day at least."

"Then why have you come here then?" asked Orochimaru.

Naruto's serious face become darker as he says "I want you to tell me everything you know about the Rinnegan..."

**to be continued...**


	23. 23 No North Farther

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.23: No North Farther**

The sudden rumbling sound stirred Sasuke from his sleep. For a few moments, he wondered if the tremor had been nothing more than a simple earthquake; nothing he hadn't experienced in the past during his travels in Dumo's volcanic ridden zones where earthquake's were common.

There was also the chance that maybe Orochimaru might have been the cause due to one of his experiments or maybe it was that giant abomination of a snake Orochimaru had created; Ouroboros. Either way, it was nothing he believed he should be worrying about as he prepared to fall back asleep.

Then came the explosion.

This brought Sasuke into a full awakened and alert status as he jumped from his bed, his hand already grasping the Kusinagi with a hand and he darted over to his window to look for the source of the explosion here within the underground city of Oto.

It only takes a second for Sasuke to find the source of the blast, one of the large snake headed statues that were carved into the upper sections of the massive catacomb was smoking as his eyes were already seeing someone falling towards the ground. _'Is that...Kimimaro?'_

Sasuke's mental question is quickly answered as he sees his sole equal here in the place managing to turn his body as he sailed into the lower buildings, insuring he'd land on his feet. Were they under attack? Sasuke wasn't sure but he knew that if he was to keep up appearances for the sake of his mission, then he needed to go join Kimimaro and join in the battle.

Sasuke leaps from his window, moving swiftly across the roof tops when he sees Kimimaro's opponent descend downwards, following after Orochimaru's top warrior. Coming to a stop, Sasuke realizes he knows who the attacker was despite his face being concealed behind a fox faced mask.

"Naruto? But why are you...?"

Shaking that question off, Sasuke continues forward, knowing that he couldn't let Naruto see him here, assuming Naruto was still in the dark about his mission from Tsunade. He soon arrives, having taken cover in a small, darkened gap between two buildings, and carefully moves so he can both see and hear what was going on. And Sasuke also realizes that Orochimaru had joined them but there was no sign of Kabuto anywhere. Had he already left or was he also watching from the shadows for some reason?

"Then why have you come here?" asked Orochimaru.

Naruto features become darker and more serious as he says "I want you to tell me everything you know about the Rinnegan."

_'The Rinnegan? Naruto, what's going on?' _wondered Sasuke, wishing he could speak with Naruto himself to learn what had been going on these past few months and knowing that it was impossible for him to do so.

Orochimaru chuckles a bit, then says "The Rinnegan, huh? So, I assume you've had a run in with Nagato then I take it?"

"You know about him?" asked Naruto.

Orochimaru raises an hand up, turning it back and forth while saying "This and that, here and there. A while back, I was involved with the Akatsuki, working with them towards a common goal. But...there developed a conflict of interest between me and them and I was forced to take my leave. But I doubt you came here to hear about that. You want to know about the Rinnegan."

While Naruto was admittedly curious to learn more about Orochimaru's connection with the Akatsuki, there would be a time and place for that later on if it was needed. Right now, he had more important things he needed to know. "Yeah, that's right."

"Anything in particular you want to know or do you desire the full monty of information" asked Orochimaru.

"There are two specific things I want to know. First, is it really possible to use the Rinnegan to revive the dead? And second, can one use the Rinnegan to alter the memories of another to such an extent that they could be made to believe anything?"

Orochimaru closes his eyes while placing a hand on his chin, rubbing it lightly as he thinks about these two questions. "According to the legend of the Sage, he possessed power so great that he could rule over even life and death. He could recall the soul's of the dead to the living world and restore life to their bodies. But there were to conditions to this power. One, you needed the summoned soul's original body to be more or less intact for this to work as placing it inside any other body would eventually lead to soul rejection; the body breaking down and the soul eventually being cast out of it. Plus, this act would cause the true soul of the body to be cast out in favor of the other soul being allowed inside. And, the use of this power also came at the cost of the users own life energy. After all, it takes life to give life."

_'That's more or less what he said' _thinks Naruto, recalling what Tobi had told them before. He had a feeling that his words were true, but getting more or less the same words from Orochimaru just sealed it for him.

"And as for the other question..." says Orochimaru, drawing Naruto from his thoughts. "One of the powers the Rinnegan has can allow the user to read one's mind using a technique similar to that used by the Yaminaka of Konoha, but at a much faster rate. In fact, it is said that there is no mental defense the Rinnegan can't break through in seconds, making the full contents of ones mind, both known and forgotten, open to the Rinnegan bearers inner sight. Of course, such a powerful connection can be quite taxing on the one on the receiving end of things. So much so that once the connection is broken, the end result is death by both the brain shutting down and the victims chakra being uncontrollably pulled from the body by the exiting mind. They say the Sage could prevent this from happening but I doubt Nagato has that kind of talent."

"And yet, if you were to use this power on one who is already dead and is only Rinne Tensei'd back to life after the fact..." says Naruto.

"So, Nagato did something like that? Possibly to someone you know? Am I right?" asked Orochimaru.

Naruto doesn't respond which is fine to Orochimaru. "Regardless, I do believe that can work so long as the victim hasn't been dead long enough for their brain cells to start deteriorating due to the lack of oxygen."

"Then we come to my real question then" says Naruto as a Shift Anchor is suddenly in his hand, a blade of yellow colored chakra extending outwards and aimed at Orochimaru. "How do I reverse something like that? Help one who's memories have been altered to remember the truth?"

"Who says you can?" asked Orochimaru a split second before Naruto is directly in front of him, the blade dancing dangerously close to his neck. Kimimaro becomes wide eyed as he hadn't seen Naruto move and was unsure what to do, fearing any movement on his part could spell then end of his master.

From their respective vantage points, both Sasuke and Kabuto wondered what would happen next.

"Do you know or not?" asked Naruto.

Orochimaru chuckles, but also admits that he was a little on edge now as this boy could kill him without a moments hesitation if he wanted to...and he was getting there to be sure. But is was just making things all the more intriguing by the moment as well.

"Well, seeing as Nagato's ability to use that power, to say nothing of all the Rinnegan's powers, is...spotty at best, I would say that it isn't impossible. Maybe if you can make this person doubt the false memories implanted within them, cracks will form upon his or her mind. Make enough cracks and the false memories will eventually shatter like glass. Who knows, maybe getting a Yaminaka to help you can speed up the process. Of course, I can offer my services to the cause as well" offered Orochimaru.

"I think I'll pass" says Naruto as he pulls the blade away, cutting off his chakra flow into the Shift Anchor to cancel out the blade, then returning it to it's proper holding spot in the sleeves of his top. "I thank you for the information, Orochimaru. And in return for it, I will leave here without further incident..."

The Kyubi's chakra cloak blazes to life around Naruto as he begins to rise into the air. After a few moments, he turns his head back enough to add one final thing. **"But I never said I wouldn't inform granny Tsunade of where to find you either. Expect a little visit from Konoha in the near future..."** And with those parting words, Naruto shoots towards the hole made from the previous battle, leaving Oto behind to return to Konoha.

"I'll be looking forward to it" said Orochimaru, his tone nor his face showing any sign of fear but anticipation of what was to come.

"Lord Orochimaru, should we really allow him to leave, especially with the knowledge of where we can be found now with him?" asked Kimimaro.

"It will be fine, I think" says Orochimaru, already turning around to return to his private retreat.

"But how can you be sure?" asked Kimimaro.

"It's because something must have happened topside" says Kabuto, finally revealing himself. "We'll need to investigate in order to be sure, but I suspect that Konoha was attacked; possibly by the Akatsuki themselves."

"I'm in agreement" says Orochimaru. "Kimimaro, go gather a few men and go to Senhana. Confirm for us on if this thought is true or not."

"Right away, my lord" says Kimimaro, bowing then turning to gather the men.

"And take a tracker with you as well" adds Kabuto. "Just in case they might have moved again."

From his own hiding spot, Sasuke takes a moment to mentally analyze what he had heard. Had something happened to Konoha? Where they needing him to come back? And what about Sakura? Perhaps it was time for him to leave here?

A sudden pulse of darkness passes through, coming from the curse mark, and making him question those thoughts. He should go...but no, he still had a mission to do. And there was still more he could learn from Orochimaru that could be used in dealing with his brother. He would remain for a while longer. Besides, Naruto must have returned to the village and his presence would be more then enough.

He hoped...

**(Sanctuary)**

"And that's pretty much what happened, grandma" said Fuu, having finished recounting everything that had happened in Mada's absence.

"So this man wearing the mask, the one who is responsible for killing Naruto's mother and forcing the event's that led him into becoming a Jinchuriki, among other things, claims to be Madara Uchiha back from the dead?" inquired Mada, wanting to make sure she had heard right.

"Yeah, that's it exactly" says Fuu.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" asked Utakata. "After all, I had heard he had been pulled into the Makai Realm by the Kyubi following his battle with the 1st Hokage, to face punishment and death for daring to control a demon lord of the Makai."

"Can this Madara guy have somehow survived the rage of the Kyubi in its own land?" further added Moegi.

"I doubt it" admits Mada. "Sure, he could control a Biju with his powers once it was summoned into our world. But a Biju's power is also lessened here in our plane. Within the Makai, on the other hand, their power is at its zenith and no amount of power possessed by a human, no matter how great it may be, would be enough to make a Biju bow to a human's will."

"But how can we be sure?" asked Hanabi.

Mada thinks on this a moment, then says "There is one way. I can open a portal to the Makai Realm so we can head to Kyubi's Throne, the seat of his power within the realm, and find our answers there."

"Is that the reason why you left before?" asked Fuu.

"It was one of the reasons I had to leave on my own as I had a few personal matters to deal with. While I doubt this man's claim as to who he is, I already had my suspicions about this man do to my belief of his past actions over the years. I believe that some of these questions can be answered within Kyubi's Throne. To that end, I felt a little trip there was necessary and here we are" says Mada.

"But why would...?" asked Fuu, but a sudden feeling stops her words.

"We have company" says Gaara, verbalizing what the others had sensed.

"Big brother" yells Moegi, already running towards the portal, but stopping short when her eyes saw who was passing into the Sanctuary and it was obviously NOT Naruto.

"So, I take it that this is the Sanctuary then?" asked Roushi, looking down at Moegi with his intimidating demeanor.

Moegi "eeks" before back peddling away from Roushi, darting back and hiding behind Mada as she and the others come walking up. "Hm, this now is a surprise. I wasn't thinking we would ever find ourselves being graced with a visit from you, host of the Yonbi" says Mada.

"I assure you madam this this decision was not my own" says Roushi. "I take it that you must be elder Mada then?"

"I am?" says Mada.

"What's with the corpse you brought with you?" asked Fuu, noting the near lifeless body slung over the shoulders of Roushi.

"I found this one just a ways of a mile from the portal. He was in bad shape yet managed to say he was also heading here before passing out. So I brought him with me" says Roushi as Mada steps up and places her hand on the unconscious man's body. "Anyone you know?"

"This is...Gobi's host" says Mada, stunned to see him in such a near dead state.

"Huh? You mean that Han guy we've been having a hell of a time finding?" says Fuu.''

Mada turns back to look at the others, saying "We need to see to his treatment immediately. Fuu, run down stairs and prepare a healing bath for him at once."

"On yet" yells Fuu before turning and running off.

"If you would please follow me then" says Mada before turning and moving with haste in order to lead Roushi to the right place.

Shortly there after, the group had gathered within a small room with a pond built into its center. Utakata uses his bubbles to gently lift Han from Roushi's shoulders and lower him into the glowing waters, placing him gently within.

"What happened to him?" asked Gaara.

"From what I could tell, he was caught up in a battle with a dangerous opponent. One that had left his physical body in a bad state. Worse was that his Biju chakra has also been nearly depleted as well. This two things happening in such a close time frame with each other is...troublesome" says Mada.

"But why would that be?" asked Moegi. "Shouldn't his Biju chakra help heal his body and how can Biju chakra be near depleted anyways? I thought it was unlimited or something."

Mada shakes her head, then says "I wish that were true. But even Biju chakra has its limits when used within a short order. Use enough can drop it to low levels and thus even it would require time to properly recharge. And due to the injuries his body had suffered, it was naturally drawing onto the Biju chakra was it was also trying to restore itself. Because of this, the Biju chakra was being kept in a very low state while his body was being properly healed because of that fact."

"In other words, one was just making the other stay in a stuck state and both ended up canceling each other out as a result" says Utakata.

"In a nutshell, yes" says Mada.

"So, will he be OK then?" asked Fuu.

Mada nods, then says "He'll need to remain within the waters for a few days, but I believe so. The waters natural healing properties will take care of his body, allowing the Biju chakra to recover without being siphoned off immediately as a result. But we should still take turns watching over him tonight just to be safe though."

"Then I'll take the first shift, seeing as I not one for sleeping all that much" says Gaara.

Mada nods, then turns her attention to Roushi. "So, what finally brought you here to us? Naruto has told us about his encounter with you and you turning down the offer to train with us. That you had no interest in learning to control your Biju power. Mind filling us in on why you changed your mind?"

"My mind hasn't been changed, that much I can assure you, madam" says Roushi.

"And yet you are here now" says Hanabi.

"Not by choice, I assure you. Late yesterday, word reached the Tsuchikage on what happened with Konoha. Knowing that such an attack could eventually come to Iwa, he ordered me to come here and seek out elder Mada and ask her for training to learn control of this power. I told him that such a thing wouldn't be necessary but the old man believes otherwise. And though I am not happy with this decision, I am a ninja who will do as his Kage commands, thus I have come here as he ordered me to."

"Boy, I'm betting you wished you had left meeting Naruto and his offer off the mission report you gave to the Tsuchikage now, huh?" joked Fuu.

Roushi gives her a cross look, saying "I assure you, little snippet, that I wouldn't waste ink in writing something so unimportant in any of my reports. No, you can thank that joke of a kunoichi, Karin, for the old man being informed. Though I guess she would have said something, being blood relatives with your Kyubi Jinchuriki and all."

"Little snippet?" yells Fuu, not sure what that could mean but having a strong hunch that it was an insult.

"So, where do I begin?" asked Roushi, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible so he could return to Iwa and get on with his proper duties.

Mada's face sours as she says "You can start by changing that attitude of yours. I'm sorry, but there will be no training for you till you can genuinely say you want to undergo the training."

"Are you saying you won't train me then?" asked Roushi, obviously surprised to hear this.

Mada sigh as she rubs her hands through her grayed hair. "Not with that non interested vigor of your. Sure, I could train you but what would be the point. That attitude you have right now would only insure your failure within the trials you'd have to go through before you can even start the training proper. Sorry, but you must genuinely want to learn control before control can be gained. Otherwise, all you'll be capable of doing is failing here."

"I see..." says Roushi, wondering if this meant he should just return to Iwa and report the bad news, knowing the old man wasn't going to like this.

"Just stay with us for a few days, observe us if you must, while you take time and do some serious soul searching within yourself. I'm sure you already decided on why you have no interest in training but is it your real reason though? Before you make your final decision, find out what it is that truly holds you back" instructs Roushi.

"I doubt my reason is any different than what I know it is, but I will accept your invitation to remain a few days non the less. If nothing else, maybe it...will give me a perspective on things I have yet to experience" says Roushi.

"Well then, you can start with watching some training battles then" says Mada as she leads everyone but Hanabi, who becomes the first to stay with Han as it was still day time outside.

**(that night)**

The waters of the pool portal ripple as Naruto arrived within the Sanctuary. Once he had stepped out onto the ground, he takes a moment to both yawn and stretch, then he smacks his lips together while bringing a hand up to rub his eyes. He the saunters forward, ready to finally hit the hay as he was dead tired.

As he enters the center of the crystal forest, Hanabi appears walking up from the underground shelter and her eyes are quick to spot him. "Naruto, you're finally back" she says as she runs over to him.

Naruto yawns again, then says "Yeah, thankfully. I would have been back sooner but I spent forever looking around Konoha for you guys before learning you had all returned here."

"So, what happened? Did that Orochimaru guy give you any helpful information?" asked Hanabi.

"Maybe" says Naruto. "But if it's OK with you, can we talk about it in the morning? I'd so beat from all this moving around today that..."

"You couldn't wait for me to get back so we could talk about this little situation with Hinata?" asked Mada in a spooky voice as she rises up like some sort of eerie ghost behind Naruto.

"GGAAHH" yelps Naruto as he both spins around and jumps back from the old woman. Even Hanabi had been scared as she had forgotten that Mada had been right behind her when she had seen Naruto.

"Uh...um...I'm sorry..." said Naruto, worried about what may be coming.

"Eh, no biggie. I would have done the same thing back in the day to be honest" says Mada, waving it off as she takes a seat. "Sit down, you two. Naruto, tell me what old pale and snaky had to say."

"Can't this wait..." asked Naruto, but Mada giving him a serious expression makes him rethink his words as he sits down with Hanabi sitting next to him.

Mada reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small object. "Here, Naruto. Drip a drop onto your tongue and it will give you about another hour of energy before exhaustion takes over again."

Naruto does as she ask and finds that he was feeling more perked up as she said he would, then he begins to explain what had happened after he left to enter the snakes lair. Once he had finished telling his tale, he ask "So, ancient granny, do you think he's idea could work?"

"Oh, I know it can work. Furthermore, I think you may have already taken that first step into cracking some sense back into Hinata's mind" says Mada.

"Seriously?" asked Naruto.

Mada nods, then says "Hanabi has told me what you had told her about your reunion with Hinata. How she hesitated from hearing your words and that this Pain man was forced to pull her away from you and escape before you could be captured. This tells me that you have already made a few cracks within the falsehood she has been made to believe."

"Really? Oh yeah, that's great" says Naruto, now feeling like they were really making some progress.

"So, how many more cracks do you think we'll need to make in order to get her true memories back?" asked Hanabi.

"That's where things get tricky" says Mada.

"What do you mean?" asked Hanabi.

"Well, the truth is that all we can do for her is to make more and more cracks upon the false memories. But only Hinata herself can land that needed blow to cause the fake memories to shatter and thus, reveal the truth to herself" says Mada.

"OK, so how do we do that then?" asked Naruto.

"Who says we need to do anything? The cracks are there and they may already be enough. Hinata has already started to have her doubts. All she really needs to do is to really want to know the truth and in turn, look inward to find it. The rest will take care of its self. The only other thing we need to do for her is to get her out of Ame, along with the Order of Ama" says Mada.

"Alright then" says Naruto as he jumps to his feet. "So when do we go on the rescue mission then?"

"Settle down, cowboy" says Mada as she also stands. "First thing's first. We need to confirm if the masked man is indeed Madara Uchiha because if he is, then we'll need to take special precautions before we can go to Ame again."

"OK, so how do we do that?" asked Naruto while Hanabi stands up with them.

"Only one way, really. Tomorrow, I'll open up a portal to the Makai Realm. Once there, we'll head to the spot Kyubi ruled and have a look around. And in doing this, I'm sure we'll have our answer" says Mada.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Naruto, not really comfortable with this. "The last time I was there, me and Gaara lost control of our powers and we nearly killed each other and Ino via the cross fire."

"But that was then, before your control training, Naruto. Now, it will be a different story. Besides, we really don't have any choice here do we?" asked Mada.

"I guess your right" says Naruto, knowing there really was no other option.

"But before that, I have a little task for you two to do before bed" says Mada.

"What is it, master?" asked Hanabi.

"Come with me and I'll explain as we walk" says Mada as she makes her way over to a thick set of trees. She then presses her hands together, then places them upon two trees which causes them to glow and spread apart to reveal a hidden path beyond them.

"This seems familiar" joked Naruto, recalling how entering and exiting Konoha was like this back when he first became a Genin.

"Come" says Mada as she steps onto the path; Naruto and Hanabi following close behind her. "Don't speak of this to anyone, understand? This path is a secret to all who come here. Even Fuu doesn't know about it."

"You mean like the Avalon Casteopa?" inquired Hanabi.

"Yes, something like that" said Mada. She was already aware that Naruto was aware of it's existence thanks to Hanabi telling him so it didn't matter if it was said aloud here with just them present. "This path leads to the exit of this Sanctuary, opening up to the lands surrounding it."

They soon stop before a rock and Mada again triggers it to move, revealing a barren wasteland of never ending white beyond it. "Welcome to no man's land, children."

Naruto steps forward, saying "Wow, just were are we in the world..." Mada stops him suddenly. "Hey, what's up granny?"

"Naruto, Hanabi, stick you hands through the bubble and you'll understand" says Mada.

"Bubble?" asked Naruto, only now realizing the there was indeed a bubble at the cave entrance, barely visible to the naked eye. Naruto and Hanabi do as they were told and stick their hands outside the bubble only to quickly pull them back in. "Geez, that's super cold, granny."

"Master, where in the world is the Sanctuary at anyways? I know it's to the north of Shumoa..." asked Hanabi.

"That's an understatement, dear. Our Sanctuary is north of everything. In fact, you could say there's no north farther than this. We are...literally, on top of the world...give or take a mile or two that is."

"The top of the world?" repeated Hanabi.

"Wow, that is pretty north" agreed Naruto. "So, why'd you bring us here, ancient granny? I doubt it was just to see the non existent sights."

"You're right, I did have a purpose" says Mada as she waves her hands through the air, making two outfits appear above Naruto and Hanabi; falling onto them. "Put those on, you two. You're going for a little walk."

"What?" shouts Naruto. "You mean out there. You're off your rocker, granny. It must be a hundred below out there."

Mada sticks her own hand out, then pulls it back in and says "Nope, just 27 degrees below."

"Like that really makes a difference" yells Naruto.

"Relax, you won't freeze out there. Those clothes are special made and from Avalon. They'll make sure you remain roasty toasty while you're out there" says Mada.

"But why do you need us to go out there, master?" asked Hanabi.

"Hm? Oh, that's a good question" says Mada before waving her hand again, this time making the seed of Senhana appear in the air, gently floating onto the ground. "You're going to plant the seed in the spot it originally came from."

"It's original home?" asked Hanabi.

"But isn't this it's original home?" asked Naruto.

Mada shakes her head, then says "Not exactly. It's just close to it. Long ago, before the age of darkness, there existed the true Sanctuary which was located at the North Pole of this world. Sadly, events happened that led to its destruction and the beings who lived there, the Elmi, falling into an eternal slumber beneath the ice and snow. All that survived was a single seed which was placed in this spot along with an artificial forest that would nurture the seed until the time came when it would be strong enough to be returned to it's proper home. But this plan was interrupted a few hundred years ago when Naobu Senju, the great great grandfather of Hashirama Senju, found his way to Sanctuary and took the seed to create Senhana back in Senai."

"But can the seed survive out there now?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, she can and she's ready to return home" says Mada. Once Naruto and Hanabi were dressed, Mada hands Hanabi a small special compass. "This will help you find the pole. Once there, place the seed on the ground and it will do the rest."

Naruto picks the seed up while asking "You ain't coming with us, granny?"

"What? Out there in that weather? You must be crazy" says Mada, making Naruto and Hanabi sweat dropping from this and now doubting her words about the effectiveness of this special clothes. "Now, get going so we can get to bed. Big day tomorrow and all." And with that, Mada turns and heads back down the path.

"You evil old bat, I should have known you'd do this" growls Naruto.

"Can't be helped though" says Hanabi as she turns and pass's through the bubble. Once outside, she looks around and says "Wow, it's not so bad out here."

Naruto follows her out and says "Yeah, you're right. It's still cold and all, but it's not bothering me in the least. But is it just me or does the air feel thinner and what not?"

"Yeah, but I guess that's natural given where this is" says Hanabi before turning the compass on, following the direction the arrow was leading them. As they walk, they allow themselves a moment to look back, seeing that the Sanctuary they knew was located within a small mountain from what they could tell.

How long did they walk, neither could say, though Naruto figured it was a little more than a mile or two that Mada had guessed, given the mountain Sanctuary was hidden within was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Finally, the compass began to make a ping sound and shortly there after, it began to spin wildly.

"I guess this must be the spot" says Hanabi, turning it off and placing it in her pocket.

"Let's hope so" says Naruto as he places the seed onto the ground. "OK, magical seed, do that magic you do so weLP" his words are cut off as the seed suddenly shoots back up, smacking into his face and sending him falling back before zipping forward seventy yards before coming to a stop, hovering in the air for a moment, then blowing into the earth.

"Why you evil little..." growls Naruto, jumping back to his feet, his face red from where the seed his smacked him as he and Hanabi run forward to the spot the seed had disappeared into.

"So, should we head back now?" asked Hanabi.

"Well, we did bring it here and all, so..." Naruto's words are cut off as the hole made by the seed begins to give off light; a pillar of light shooting out a few moments later. Racing high into the sky, a beautiful aurora erupting into existence in the sky.

"Cool" says Naruto as he and Hanabi look skywards.

"Amazing" agreed Hanabi.

"Indeed, it's always a breath taking sight to be sure" comes a mysterious third voice, making them spin around to see a girl standing next to the hole.

"Hey, who are you and where did you come from?" ask Naruto.

Hanabi, unlike Naruto, recognizes this girl as she had seen her image before. "Wait, you can't be...are you miss Ako Izumi?"

"Who?" asked Naruto, recalling that he had heard that name before but he couldn't remember where.

The girl shakes her head, then says "No, I'm not her. I just borrowed her face and voice from your memories, taken from the image you saw of her back in Avalon and her voice from the Harmonia, just translated into words you both can easily understand."

"Then who are you?" asked Naruto.

"I have been called by many names; Sanctuary, Senhana, Sen-heart, the sacred seed, and so on. I am the spirit of the seed and the child of the old forest sanctuary that once called this place home. And I thank you for bringing me back home at last. To show you my thanks, there's something I want you two to see" said the spirit before closing her eyes and bringing her hands together like she was praying.

The whole ground around them begins to glow, then a sea of trees burst forth; reaching high into the sky. The trees were covered in snow yet they showed that they were full of life. For Naruto, it was like he was back in Senhana again, just with more snow present and the aurora shimmering in the sky.

"OK, that's impressive. How did you regrow yourself so fast?" asked Naruto.

"Don't be fooled by appearances" points out the spirit. "Can you not see the faint glow covering the trees?"

Hanabi does and she walks forward, pressing her hand to a tree but finding her hand passing through it. "This is just an illusion."

"Yes, that's right" said the spirit as they look at her again. "It will take several hundred years before this new sanctuary will come to look like this. But it will come to be this place all the same. And when it has been fully reborn, then I'll finally be able to see the Elmi awaken again. And then, things will be one step closer to seeing the world finally healed from those dark days of the past."

"To bad we won't be here to see it though" says Naruto, knowing none of them could live that long.

"Who says you can't be here?" asked the spirit. "After all, Mada was able to live centuries so why not either of you as well? Anyways, I have one final request before I return to my remaining slumber."

"And that is?" asked Naruto.

"Will you please...give me a name, one fitting for this place of sanctuary" asked the spirit.

Hanabi looks at Naruto and ask him "What do you think we should call this place?"

Naruto closes his eyes and takes on a thinking pose for a moment, then a name pops into his head. "Yule...will Yule do for a name?" he asked.

"Hm...I think it sounds perfect" says the spirit as the illusion of the forest fades away. "Then from this day forth, I will be known as Yule. Well then, my friends. Until we meet again..." And with that, the spirit also fades away, returning to her slumber.

"So, do you think it was a good name?" asked Naruto.

"I liked it and I can tell that she did too. But where did you come up with that name, Naruto?" asked Hanabi.

He shrugs, then says "I'm really not sure, to be honest. It just popped into my head and I went with it. Now, what do you say we head back and get some sleep?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea" agreed Hanabi as they turn and begin to head back. "We need to be fully rested for the trip into the Makai in the morning.

As they walk, neither notice Mada, her eyes on them and a smile on her face. "I knew I had made the right choice here, sending you both. Now I no longer have any reason to fear...leaving you all."

Mada knew what tomorrow was going to bring. Even though she would be sending them into the Makai to learn of Madara's fate, she already knew what it was. And while they were doing that, she would be taking care of one final bit of business before she could finally retire.

She and the masked man...

It was time for them to face one another and to have their long overdo reckoning...

**to be continued...**

**AN: **In this chapter, I made mention of a people called the Elmi. If you have played either Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV, then you'll have an idea of what the Elmi look like as I mental image of them is based on XI's Tarutaru and XIV's Lalafel races. Basically, short gnome like beings with pointed ears, a light blue or green colored skin tone, and very skilled in crafting and creating things. While the Elmi won't be appearing in this series, I figured I might as well give you an idea on what they were.

Next chapter title: **Return to Your Hell**


	24. 24 Return to Your Hell

Tobi stood at the door to his private room, taking a moment to be sure he was ready for this. He knew that before this day was over, he would be involved in the most intense and lethal battle he had ever experienced in a very long time. Not since his battle with his brother had he faced such a challenge.

How did you know that it would be today? There weren't words to describe the how as it was something that went beyond physical or mental understanding. It was something akin to destiny in a way in the knowing and there was no escaping this moment even if he wanted to.

A sound from behind him makes him turn, seeing Sakuya sleeping lightly in his bed. He scoffs before exiting them room, feeling some small measure of disgust with himself with what he had done with her. It was necessary to keep her loyal to him specifically but that didn't change his feeling of disgust.

As he heads down the hallway, a form rises up before him a few feet away. "How low must you sink, master?" asked the Black Zetsu persona.

"Shut up" says Tobi as he walks past him, stopping a few steps after. "I have made many sacrifices in my life and this...thing...with Sakuya is just another personal sacrifice I have to make for the achievement of my ultimate goal."

"Speaking of that..." says White Zetsu.

Tobi nods before turning back to look at Zetsu. "Yes, the time has come to remove a certain obstacle that still stands in my way."

"But can you really do it though?" asked White Zetsu.

"You of all people know what she's capable of" adds Black Zetsu. "And besides, she's..."

"I aware of that" says Tobi. "But still, it must be done none the less."

"But how will you find her?" asked White Zetsu.

Tobi chuckles, then says "That's the beauty part. I don't have to find her. She will come here to find me and I want you to wait for her and once she has arrived, you will bring her to me. And then, we'll finally see if my goals can truly be reached or if it was all just an unobtainable dream."

"As you wish, master. So, where should we bring her when she arrives?" asked Black Zetsu

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.24: Return to Your Hell**

"Why are we doing this within a Casteopa, grandma?" asked Fuu as the group walked down the halls of the Sanctuary towards the Casteopa Chamber.

"A safety precaution, dear" says Mada. "The portal is, after all, a two way road. While we can enter on this side, the other side can be entered as well. Plus, it will be easier to keep the portal open for the duration of the trip than to close it and reopen it later to allow you all back."

"But can we even open a portal inside a Casteopa?" asked Hanabi. "I mean, the Casteopa are their own dimensional space, meant to store and protect important places from the past. Is opening a portal to Makai within them even possible?"

"It will take some special methods, but yes. A portal can be made within a Casteopa" says Mada.

Naruto turns his head to look at Roushi and says "I'm still surprised you came here. But are you sure you want to come along for this ride?"

"As I explained before, my being here is because I was ordered to come here by my Kage. And as for tagging along? Well, it's better than just sitting in my room doing nothing" explained Roushi.

A few moment's later, they entered the Casteopa Chamber, which Mada had already set up with the chosen sphere sitting out of the pedestal. A few moments later, they were inside it. "Pinnacle Rocks, huh?" says Naruto as he looks around. "Good memories here. Good time."

"Now then, lets get started" says Mada as she begins to work on the portal. "Gaara, Utakata; like we discussed yesterday."

The sand ninja and water ninja nod as they take their places standing before Mada with twenty feet between them. "Invoke" they both say as they summon forth their mask and their bodies are covered by chakra cloaks. They then extend their arms out at each other in a sideways V shape.

Mada then presses her hands together, chanting words in the ancient language as symbols appear on the flesh of her exposed arms. She then thrust them outwards causing the symbols to race down her arms into her hands, forming a crackling ball which shoots outwards and bursting at the center of the space between Gaara and Utakata, forming a spinning swelling of energy.

Mada breathes heavily for a moment before asking "Are you two doing good?" Both Gaara and Utakata nod, then they turn their attentions back to the portal. She then turns back to the others and say "Alright; Naruto, Fuu, and Hanabi. You three will be going in while Moegi and Roushi remain outside to deal with any Makian's that might pass through."

"Hey, why does Hanabi get to go and not me?" whined Moegi. "I want to go with big brother too."

"Because Hanabi needs to experience that place and because you are the only one who can invoke seeing as Gaara and Utakata are using their power to keep the portal active. Plus, Fuu has more experience than you do as well."

"Still not fair" pouts Moegi.

Mada sighs, but smiles regardless. She then looks at her three travelers and says "Naruto, once you arrive, call upon Kyubi's power to help you find your way to his Throne. Fuu, I need you to keep track of the time you spend in their and once the task is completed, use your superior speed to get back to the portal quickly. And Hanabi, I want you to use your Byakugan to keep an eye out for any potential dangers."

"Roger" they all say as they approach the portal.

"And remember, the portal can't be maintained indefinitely, even by two Biju powered Jinchuriki. If my guess is correct, you'll have less than four hours before the portal will fail. And sense we can't be sure where you'll arrive that, just make sure you don't dawdle in there" adds Mada.

They nod before turning back to the portal, each then takes a deep breath, and then finally step inside.

"Be careful" says Moegi.

"They'll be fine, I'm sure" says Mada before turning around and walking over to the exit point.

"You aren't staying to wait on them?" asked Roushi.

"I'd like to but opening the portal was quite tiring and I am pretty old. I'm going to go rest up a bit" says Mada before exiting the Casteopa. Once she was back outside, she takes a few steps then stops and looks back.

In truth, she actually was tired. But it wasn't sleep that had made her leave. What had made her leave, as well as not go along with them into the Makai Realm, which she had told them it was do to her age and all as an excuse, was the fact this gave her the opportunity she needed to go take care of that last bit of business without the fear of them showing up and being caught in the coming cross fire.

Her eyes water just a bit as she smiles. She was going to miss this time with them. "Goodbye, my precious children. I leave the rest to you all..."

And with that, Mada vanished from the room, off to right a wrong she had put off for far to long.

**(inside the Makai Realm)**

The threesome stepped out of the portal onto rocky soil, finding themselves needing to stop suddenly as they had emerged near the edge of a cliff. Hanabi steps forward to the edge and looks to see how high up they were. "Master wasn't lying about the portal's opening being random. I few more feet to the left and we could have been free falling a few hundred feet down."

Naruto joins her, but his attention is more on the surrounding horizon. "I honestly hoped I'd never see this place again."

"There sure is a lot of red in the scenery" notes Fuu as this was her first time here. She then looks up and sees the image of the massive serpentine body moving across the sky. "What the hell...?"

Naruto and Hanabi look back at her and then upwards as well "Oh, that guy? Yeah, he's pretty big. They say old Midgarsormr there is able to wrap around the whole realm."

"Will he attack us?" asked Hanabi.

Naruto shrugs, then says "I doubt it, personally. But I don't recall ever seeing its head so there's no way to know if it was even aware of us being here before. There's also a chance that that thing isn't even real but some sort of optical illusion created by the atmosphere."

"In any event, we should really focus on the task at hand" says Fuu as she looks around and sees a path leading downwards from the high point they had arrived at. "So Naruto, any idea where we are and which way we need to go? We don't have all day after all."

"Well, I can already tell you that we're in the right area of the Makai Realm. Give me a moment to see if I can sense out our primary destination" says Naruto before closing his eyes.

"But how do you know we're in Kyubi's region, Naruto?" asked Hanabi.

"Is it because of all the red?" asked Fuu.

Naruto opens his eyes and says "I don't know if the red is region specific or if its the general color hue of the Realm as a whole as this was how it looked during my last visit and I'm not sure what region it was in. But I know this is Kyubi's region due to all the fires we're seeing both on this high plateau and the surrounding lands."

Hanabi and Fuu realize that Naruto was right about the fires that seemed to be burning here and there. "But how can you be sure though, Naruto? After all, Kyubi isn't the only Biju that has a connection to fire. Both the Nibi and the Yonbi are are fire attributes too" points out Fuu.

"Not exactly" counters Naruto. "The Yonbi is more about lava and volcanoes, neither of which can be observed anywhere around us. And as for the Nibi? If this was her zone, then we'd be seeing more ghost fire with blue's and purples instead of red and orange colored fires."

"Good point" says Fuu.

"Guys, we may want to get moving" says Hanabi suddenly as her Byakugan activates. "I'm seeing some very big winged lizards coming this way."

"Must be those hunting dragon things" says Naruto, not wanting to get into another tussle with those things if he could avoid it. "Fuu, let's create some clones to act as guards here while we're gone. No need to leave this side of the portal unguarded."

"Good idea" agreed Fuu as she and Naruto made four clones each to stand guard. Fuu then looks at her clones and says "Gather around the portal and hide it using that concealment technique we know." She then looks at Naruto and Hanabi and says "What they can't see they won't go for, right?"

"Good thinking. Now let's get moving" says Naruto as the threesome begin their descent down the sloped path. After fourteen minutes of walking, the finally arrived on a more grounded level and begin to follow Naruto's lead across the scorched looking land scape.

"So leader, any ideas how long this will take to get to the Throne?" asked Fuu.

"We may have lucked out on that one" says Naruto before pointing towards a not to far away mountain range. "Kyubi's chakra is compelling me to head in that direction and I'm getting this strong feeling about wanting to head there. So it's either somewhere on the mountain range or just beyond it."

"Or maybe before it if we're really lucky" hoped Fuu. "But I wonder if it was really just luck or of grandma was just teasing us about the random arrival point."

"If she was teasing us, then she sure chose a bad time for it" says Hanabi. Her eyes then spot some Makian's roaming around the vast open expanse not to far away from them; creatures that resembled doberman dogs with flaming streaks of fire fire arranged in various patterns on their bodies that differed slightly between them. "I see so Makian's to our left. Do you think they'll attack us if they detect our presence here?"

"While we're here in this place, consider everything to be a danger. Creatures, plants, and the ground we walk on. Anything and everything could be a Makian waiting to strike" says Naruto, warning his two companions on the dangers they faced.

"Great, this place keeps getting more and more inviting by the minute" says Fuu. "Maybe we should just invoke and fly there and back. We'd be done with this place quicker."

"To dangerous" says Naruto. "Granny said to refrain from using our powers earlier unless we needed to as it could draw unwanted attention to us. That aside, I don't think the creatures of this region will attack us."

"And you're sure of this how?" asked Fuu.

"I'm Kyubi's Jinchuriki and this is his territory. Any Makian's that also call this place home are loyal to him, if you want to call it loyalty. Besides, there was this one Makian group that didn't attack me before when I was here last. I'm assuming that they were minions of the Kyubi. Anyways, I'm sure we'll be..."

Sudden movement beneath the ground catch's Hanabi's attention, making her yell "Below us..."

The ground erupts and the threesome is quickly surrounded by weird looking plant human hybrid beast. "..fine" finish's Naruto as he, Hanabi, and Fuu move to stand at each others backs, though Naruto and Fuu were also positioned to act as shield's to protect Hanabi if necessary.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Perfectly safe" grumbles Fuu wondering how they would be attacked first.

"**Long time no see, Konoha ninja" **comes a female voice from an unknown location. Two of the plant creatures move away as another figure rises from the ground, this one a little more human looking than the others, with a face Naruto found familiar.

"Wait, I know you" says Naruto, trying to recall her name. "Your that Oto kunoichi. Kin I think your name was."

"**You are correct, that is my name...or it was"** says Kin, her root and vine like legs slithering along the ground like a snake as she moves closer to him. **"And I remember you as well. I remember you being the cause of my...current state."**

"And how do you figure that one?" asked Naruto.

"**We were together in this place when you called upon your dark power, losing yourself in it and becoming like a beast. I admit I found that quite alluring and desirable. But you spurred my advances and left me on the ground unconscious, easy prey for a plant based Makian to take me."**

"Boy Naruto, you sure have a way with women, huh?" joked Fuu.

"Sorry, but I don't recall any of that. But regardless, I am sorry for any pain I caused you" says Naruto.

Kin shoots forward, her green skinned face coming to be just a few inches from his as she yells **"You think sorry can cut it or make me forget? You have no idea what that thing did to me, what it's actions caused? It was a horror beyond anything any kunoichi could ever imagine to dread."**

She then turns away and moves back then says with a more even tone **"I won't bore you with the details as it would get pretty graphic. But to be honest, I guess I should thank you for what you did, even if it wasn't you specifically that was in control."**

She then looks back at him and adds **"In time, I got use to this form and learned how to use it. Having been turned into some form of proto-Makian based life form, I gained an understanding and a new perspective about things. So, after killing my...Makian parent, I began to give birth to my children here. But sadly, though they appear to have human like features about them, they are true Makian in their minds. But things have since changed."**

A shadow comes over them all as a figure comes to land beside Kin; a creature Naruto was equally familiar with. **"That's quite an understatement, pet."**

Naruto's eyes narrow as he prepares to Invoke just in case an attack came. "Joyrock, so we meet again."

"You know that lizard guy, Naruto?" asked Fuu.

"We crossed paths before" says Naruto. "He was the Makain...I mean, the Yoma that was sealed inside that hidden Casteopa in those desert ruins." Naruto then turns his attention back to Joyrock and Kin and says "I had honestly hoped Gaara had been able to kill you with his sand."

Joyrock chuckles, then says **"So sorry to disappoint you, but killing me isn't that easy, Mr. Kyubi. And yes, I'm more versed on what has become of my home after meeting my mate here."** Joyrock the reaches up and pats Kin on her head.

"**Me and master here have big plans, you see. Thanks to him, I now carry within me the seed of rebirth for this realm. It will take time of course, a few hundred years or so. But through us, the true race of the Makai, the Yoma, will finally be revived again" **adds Kin.

"Ew, now that's disgusting" says Fuu.

"So what are you going to do to us?" asked Hanabi.

"**That depends on why you have come here"** says Joyrock.

"We're here to confirm something within Kyubi's Throne. After that, we plan on leaving" says Naruto. "Do you intend to get in our way?"

"**Is that so?" **says Joyrock, at first looking like he was going to attack. But he suddenly then waves his steps to the side and Kin waves her hand, making her plant children sink back into the ground. **"Fine, then carry our your business and be gone then."**

"Seriously?" asked Fuu.

"What's the catch?" asked Naruto.

"**No trick, I assure you. I can sense the great power within you two, a power that is at it's best here in this land. To attack you now would be suicide for us. So for now, we'll leave it at that." **Joyrock then grabs hold of Kin as she begins the sink them both into the ground.

"**But I wouldn't make visitations here a regular thing as I might not be so willing to back off in the future" **he adds before his head disappears from sight. **"Until we next meet, if ever..."**

"Can we trust they won't attack us?" asked Hanabi.

"He's a Yoma so of course we shouldn't trust him" says Fuu.

"Still, he's no idiot. He could sense our Biju chakra and likely knows we'd wipe the floor with him if we got serious. But let's not hang around though" says Naruto before kneeling down, then looks at Hanabi and says "Hop on; we'll run the rest of the way."

Hanabi does as he asked and once she was piggy backing Naruto, and and Fuu use the Swift Sprint wind jutsu to shoot quickly across the ground, the mountain range getting closer rather quickly.

**(in Ame with Mada)**

The room Mada had teleported into was dark, near pitch black in color. There was only the faintest of lights, allowing her to see the comatose form of Chiyo lying in a bed close by. The technique she had used allowed her to head to the location of anyone should could mentally visualize within her mind, though it had some dangers to it. Unless you also knew were it was you were warping to, there was a danger that you would appear with part of your body melded in with another object. Lucky, this had not happened. Mada moves quickly to Chiyo's bed side, pulling a device from her pocket to use to examine the aged leader of the Order of Ama.

"Chiyo, you should have listened to me about that girl" says Mada, letting out a sigh. Sakuya had drugged here with some sort of coma inducing agent and judging from the readings she was getting, it had been enough to make the coma permanent...by modern standards.

"Lucky for you I have something that's not so modern" says Mada as she returns the device to her pocket, then pulls out a small vial filled with a light blue colored liquid which gave off a slight glow. Truth was, she didn't bring this potion for this purpose but to us it to give her a little boost. But the need for it to be used for this matter was greater as she pulls the top off and opens Chiyo's mouth; pouring the liquid down her throat.

"There, you'll be fine now, Chiyo. It will take a little while for the potion to affect you, but at least you can look forward to waking up again" says Mada before leaning in close to whisper into Chiyo's ear. "And once you do wake up, please do me a favor and deal with Sakuya once and for all. Don't let her reminding you of the daughter you lost stop you from doing what needs to be done."

Mada then moves away to the door, then looks back at Chiyo and adds "And...thank you for all that you have done in your time with the Order. I'll never forget it."

Mada then slips out into the empty hallways, moving quickly and silently down them as she heads to where Hinata's presence was coming from. She was careful to avoid being seen or detected by anyone and it only took her a few minutes before she had arrived at Hinata's personal chambers. Once she was sure that no one other than Hinata was inside, she slipped inside like a shadow.

Mada's eyes fall on the sleeping girl, feeling a pang of guilt. While to most, she would seem to be sleeping in peace. But Mada could tell that there was an incredible struggle going on within her. One part of her that knew the truth fighting to overcome the parts that were the lies.

Mada moves to her side, already guessing that she had been drugged like Chiyo had been, though Hinata was still a ways off from it becoming a permanent sleep. "I'm sorry, child. So sorry I didn't consider the Rinnegan being used to revive you as a possibility. While I can't truly make up that oversight, just one of many I have made in my life, I can at least do this for you."

Mada then brings both her hands up, having them hover a few inch's above Hinata's head as a glow rises up, followed by a light passing from Mada's hands to Hinata. "So, how long do you plan on watching?" asked Mada, not turning her attention away from the task at hand.

"So, you knew we where here with you and the girl" comes Zetsu as he rises from the ground.

"It would be foolish for one to enter the tiger's den without being aware of all the dangerous they could face" says Mada, continuing her actions. When Zetsu doesn't make a move to stop her, she finds it curious and ask "So, why are you just standing there? I would have thought you'd try to stop me from doing anything where she's concerned."

"Our orders were quite clear, milady. We were to only take action if you tried to take her away from here yourself. Beyond that, you are free to do as you will" says White Zetsu.

"Not that we could do anything to truly stop you anyways" adds Black Zetsu. "After all, we know quite well what it is you can do."

This makes Mada curious as she looks back at him with a raised eye brow. "Oh, some you claim to know about me, huh? Mind telling me who are you are, mister plant man?"

"Zetsu" say both Black and White in unison.

"Zetsu?" says Mada, recalling that she knew that name. It then comes back to her and she smiles a little. "I see how it is now. Am I right in assuming you must be Omi and Uri, the Zetsu brothers. I should have known he would have kept you two by his side. After all, you both were not only his most loyal followers, but also his closest friends as well."

"It is good to see you again too, milady" says White Zetsu, once known as Uri in another time.

"So, just where is he then?" asked Mada as she turned her attention back to Hinata.

"He knew that the time had come for this long overdo reunion between you two and as such, has gone to a more appropriate location for this meeting to be held at. We were asked to wait here for you and to escort you to the meeting place once you were ready" says Black Zetsu, or Omi Zetsu as he was once known.

"Then we shouldn't keep him waiting then, should we" says Mada as she finish's up with Hinata. She then leans in and whispers something into the sleeping girls ear before pulling away and moving to stand next to Zetsu. "Let's go."

Zetsu nods as he raises an arm up, allowing Mada to take hold before sinking along with her into the ground. Mada allows herself one final look at Hinata before she and Zetsu had left the room.

_Hinata, I had wanted you to awaken the gift over time and with training, but necessity forces me to speed up that process for you. Now I leave the rest up to you. In your heart, you know the truth and when you're ready, make that truth banish the false memories from your mind forever. As long as you can See All and Know All, there will be no lie, no secret, you can't uncover and overcome. Stay safe, my precious daughter..._

**(the Makai Realm)**

"We're here" says Naruto as he comes to a stop.

For the last half hour, they had made their way up the side of the mountain chain before passing through into a canyon located within. And along this canyon was a sea...made of pure fire. And it was at the bank of this sea of fire that they now stood out.

"This is Kyubi's Throne?" says Fuu as she looks around. "Well, I guess I can see it but still..."

"This isn't the actual throne though" says Hanabi, her eyes already seeing the truth. "It's below us, in the fire."

"What? You have to be kidding me?" shouts Fuu as she looks at the lake and wonders what her Biju's pad must look like.

"This lake of fire is just the front door, meant to keep all unwanted guest from just barging inside. Below is where the Kyubi rested" explains Naruto.

"OK, that makes more sense. So, any ideas on how we can get down there?" asked Fuu.

"As Kyubi's Jinchuriki, I can pass through the flames without worry..." says Naruto.

Fuu cuts in quickly, saying "That's all well and good, but what about us? You may be able to walk into that without worry, but me and Hanabi will be fried if we tried walking into that blaze."

"And if you had let me finish, I would have gotten to that point" says Naruto, making Fuu feel sheepish. "If the both of you are in physical contact with me, then it should be possible for you both to join me down there if I'm channeling Kyubi's chakra into you."

"Sure, that could work, I guess. But as I'm a Jinchuriki to a Biju too, my own inner demon may reject your chakra feed and as for Hanabi? Who knows what it could do to her, like cause her pain or..."

"I'm ready" says Hanabi as she takes Naruto's hand without hesitation. She then looks at Fuu and says "We've come to far now to simply stop. Besides, I trust Naruto and I'm confident I can handle a little pain and discomfort should any come my way from this."

"So, you coming or not?" asked Naruto, extending his other hand to Fuu.

"Oh, what the hell" says Fuu as she takes his hand. "If Hanabi is willing to bare with it, then I have no right to complain, right?"

"Nope" says Hanabi.

"OK, here we go" says Naruto as he wills a chakra cloak to form around himself, then sends some of that chakra pulsing into Hanabi and Fuu. Hanabi finds a chakra cloak similar to Naruto's forming around her while Fuu's has a different color, matching her own natural cloak's color. And neither felt any burning or painful sensations from this act. Giving Naruto the go ahead, the three walk forward and enter the fire.

It only takes a moment before they pass through it, completely unscathed. And now before them was a sharp incline, ending with what appeared to be a cave entrance to which they are quick to make their way down to and enter. As they had left the fire lake above them, Naruto releases his hand hold on his two companions.

"Anyone home?" shouts Fuu as they walk deeper into the cave.

"That's a dumb question to ask when you think about it" says Hanabi, then giggling as Fuu gives her a strong glare, though her cheeks were red flamed from embarrassment. As they move deeper into the ever darkening cave, the threesome pull out glow sticks to help illuminate their way.

And then, they finally arrived at their destination. Before them was a large mound of bones from slain Makian's, all clumped together like some sort of bed. "Kyubi's Throne" says Naruto.

"Not what I was expecting" says Fuu. "But all things considered, I guess this would be a demon's idea of a throne; making it from the remains of its slain victims."

"So, where should start looking at?" asked Hanabi, looking around and not seeing anything that stood out to her.

"We don't need to" says Naruto, already moving off to his left towards the wall. He then stops and looks upwards, saying "He's right there."

Fuu and Hanabi look up at the spot where Naruto was looking and then see it. Fused into the wall was the remains of Madara Uchiha, or what was left of those remains. "Damn, that guy got fudged up something serious" joked Fuu, noting his brunt and scarred appearance.

"No wonder I didn't see him sooner" adds Hanabi. "The wall looks like it's made from countless creatures that have been fused into it."

"That's not all" says Naruto. "Take a closer look at his face."

Fuu squints her eyes, then says "Sorry, I'm not seeing nothing."

"I doubt he could either if he was still alive" says Hanabi, her Byakugan seeing what Naruto saw. "His eyes; it looks like his eyes were gouged out be something."

Fuu looks at her and says "Seriously? Was it the Kyubi..."

"Ah" says Naruto suddenly as he stumbles backwards, a hand quickly going to his head. Both Fuu and Hanabi are quick to grab him, keeping him from falling. And from this touch, images pour into their minds, allowing them to see what Naruto himself was seeing; memories stored within the chakra.

_The Kyubi, a captive Madara being held within it's jaws, piercing the man's flesh, as he returned to his throne. Madara is then burned into the wall, fusing his arms, legs, and some of his torso into it. Madara howls in pain, his curses and promises of vengeance filling the air._

_For years, Kyubi tortured Madara relentless, so much so that the former Uchiha warrior died more than once, but Kyubi would force his heart to start beating once more so he could continue relishing in his misery. This lasted for twenty years before Kyubi, finally becoming bored with this, allowed Madara his long desired death._

_And then came fifteen years ago. Kyubi was awaken from his long slumber by a presence felt here within his throne. Opening his eyes, he sees a hooded man walking up to him. Kyubi demands to know the man's purpose and how he came to be here. But the man ignores him, rising into the air and moving to Madara's corpse. "So, your eyes have survived all this time. Then I guess my theory was true then..."_

_Kyubi would not be ignored as he roars, then goes to attack the unknown man. But the man turns to look at him and Kyubi finds itself slamming onto the ground, unable to move by way of some unknown power. "Wait your turn, fallen lord. You and I will have much work to do here soon..."_

_This power and presence? Kyubi knew he had felt them before, long ago. There's no way it could be HIM. His eyes fall upon the man and he sees it, the spiral..._

"Yow..." says Fuu as the memories end and she and Hanabi also stumble back. "That was intense."

"Naruto, who was that man?" asked Hanabi.

"No idea, but Kyubi seemed to know him from somewhere. But at least we know he isn't Madara though" says Naruto.

"Which means we're right back to square one then" says Fuu. "Just who is that guy...?"

**(Tobi)**

_'The Final Valley, where stories come to an end'_ thinks Tobi, sitting on the head of Madara Uchiha, looking out over the great expanse of land around him. _'And the perfect place to begin our final...' _

The sound of a cane hitting stone makes him smile beneath the mask. "So, the time has finally come..." He then looks back and sees Mada and Zetsu having arrived. "...elder Mada."

**to be continued...**

**AN: **I think you know what's coming next chapter. Mada vs Tobi; a battle to the death. Both their secrets shall be revealed along with a few other truths as well. And then there will come the fighting, which may gone down as my most insane and intense battle ever written.

This is one chapter you WON'T ever want to miss.


	25. 25 To Break in Time

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.25: To Break in Time**

The Makai portal suddenly began to fluctuate, bring Moegi and Roushi into an alert status. "Hey, what's wrong with the portal?" asked Moegi to Gaara and Utakata.

"**Something must be passing through it" **says Utakata in response.

"Prepare yourself, little snippet. We may have battle coming are way" says Roushi as he was already preparing to unleash a Lava style jutsu attack.

Moegi nods, extending her hands outwards and forming a block of ice to launch out in attack as well. After a few seconds, three figures pass from the portal back into the Pinnacle Rocks. Moegi breaths a sigh of relief as she runs forward and Roushi allows himself to relax as well.

"Big brother, you're back" cries Moegi before hugging Naruto, much to his annoyance. He growls at hearing Fuu snickering at him, likely thinking about Moegi's brother complex becoming a major issue. Behind them, Gaara and Utakata allow themselves to break away from the portal which causes it to close as they leave their Mazuko Modes, returning to normal.

"Did you find anything?" asked Gaara.

Naruto looks back at his two fellow Jinchuriki and says "Something, but nothing immediately helpful though."

"Like what, exactly?" asked Roushi.

"Wait, where's master at?" asked Hanabi.

"Huh, ancient granny?" says Moegi. "She said she was feeling a little tired so she went to lay down."

"Not surprising. Opening that portal must have taken a lot out of her" says Fuu. "In fact, she seems to have been tired a lot lately."

"I'll go get her" says Hanabi, moving to the exit orb. "She should hear this as soon as possible so we can get her input on this matter" she adds before touching the orb and vanishing from the Casteopa.

"While we wait, wanna go ahead and fill us in?" asked Utakata.

For the next few minutes, Naruto and Fuu re-accounted their short time inside the Realm, their run in with the last pure Yoma and the transformed Kin, and their discovery inside Kyubi's Throne.

"So, this masked man isn't Madara Uchiha then" says Roushi. "That's reassuring in its own way."

"I wish I could share that sentiment" says Naruto.

"What do you mean?" asked Roushi.

"Well, we know that though Madara could control the Kyubi, possibly even all the Biju once they were here in our world, the same couldn't be said on their home turf. But who ever the masked man is, he does somehow have the power to bind them to his will even in the Makai. That alone is a scary thought" explained Fuu.

"So, if it's not Madara back from the dead, then who then?" asked Utakata.

"Could it be that Pain guy?" asked Gaara.

Naruto shakes his head. "No, I'm sure Pain has nothing to do with this. So far, we have only one clue to go on that hopefully ancient granny may have an idea about."

"And what's that, big brother?" asked Moegi.

"He wasn't wearing his mask in the memory so I saw his left eye and the spiral like iris he had" says Naruto. "I don't know why, but there's something familiar about it."

"A spiral iris?" repeats Roushi. "Another ocular based blood limit, perhaps? One that has been kept secret from the general public."

Fuu shrugs, then says "Who can say say, really. But if such a thing does exist, then the person or clan that produced it has done a very good job keeping its existence a complete secret."

"Putting that aside for now, something else did become known to me" says Naruto.

"What, seriously?" asked Fuu, hearing this for the first time.

Naruto nods, then grins a little before saying "I'm not sure where the idea came from, but this wicked cool idea came to me when we were at the Throne; an interesting new way to use the tails of my chakra cloak."

"Seriously?" asked Moegi.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if I can do it perfectly right off the bat, but I'll see if I can show you anyways" says Naruto as he begins to invoke. But Hanabi suddenly reappears, visibly in a panic.

"Everyone, master's missing..."

**(the Final Valley)**

"So, the time has finally come...elder Mada."

Tobi then stands up, looking her over before saying, in a rather joky fashion "Boy, the times have not be find to you, huh? I never thought I'd see the day you, of all people, would look like a wrinkled old fossil woman."

Mada's face shifts into a dead pan like expression as she returns "Well, I like to think I look pretty good given my age and all. Besides, I thought you had been raised to be more respectful than this towards your elders?"

Tobi chuckles as he brings a hand to rest against his chin. "Yeah, I suppose you're right, elder Mada. Oh, would it be OK if I call you by your true name..."

"Lady Amarillo Namikaze" says Tobi, trying to sound as grandiose as he could. "No, that's not right either. After all, it would be most appropriate if I call you by the correct term, wouldn't you agree...MOM!"

Mada, or should I say Amarillo, sighs as she rubs her forehead. "You still haven't changed, always with that cocky attitude in your tone. And here I was hoping that you would have grown out of that after all these years, Uchiha Namikaze."

"So, you really did know it was me all along then" says Tobi...Uchiha as he pulls his mask off, revealing a young looking face with a Sharingan in his right eye and the spiral iris-ed eye in the left socket. "What gave me away?"

"The truth is that I have always suspected that it could be you, or someone from those times who was a little on the ambitious side. The theft of Musashi's Rinnegan from the vault, the special items the Order of Ama seemed to have access to, and other things besides" says Mada. "Though I had honestly hoped that I was wrong about it being you though."

"Sorry to disappoint, mom" says Tobi. "Though I guess in retrospect, that's all I could ever do in your eyes."

"It has been a very long time, but I refuse to get back into this argument with you now, Uchiha. But I do still want to know how you managed to live this long? And how did you gain access to the vaults inner sanctum?"

"So, you wanna know how I'm still alive, huh?" asked Tobi before starting to pace back and forth. "Well, I suppose you can thank the professor for that one...indirect though it may have been. After all, it was professor Van Hohenheim who was research the secrets behind immortality, though he eventually abandoned his research. I managed to cover his work before it was fully destroyed and used to to create my Soul Transference technique. After my fight with Senju and nearly dying, I used it to soul jump into a new body and have been doing such ever since up until this day."

"As for how I accessed the vault? Well, old methods are the best as I had preserved some of my DNA for a future project and I was able to trick the computer AI into thinking I was either you or dad, I can't remember which. And just so you don't have to ask, I found the vault to begin with through a process of illumination. After all, it was safe to assume you all would have used a spot familiar to you and I was aware of all the locations" says Tobi.

"I knew we should have found a new spot" growled Mada, realizing they had been pretty stupid there.

"Now you tell me, mom. Just how did you survive this long" asked Tobi. "And while we're at it, I would also like to know if Minato Namikaze was really little Uzumaki, all grown up."

"Your father saw a vision before his death, one that foresaw a Second Age of Darkness possibly happening in the distant future. As neither one of us would naturally live long enough to stop it again, we implemented several fail safes to protect the future world" says Mada.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this one" says Tobi.

"First, we had professor Van create the genetic code for a new ocular power and then this code was placed inside your sister, Hinata, body so it could be passed on from one generation to another till the time of the second age came about, where it would naturally manifest in her most current living descendents, which by chance was a girl who was also named Hinata" says Mada, deciding to keep the fact it wasn't just the Byakugan that Van had created back then.

"Next, Uzumaki was taken to the Celestial Realm and placed inside the Silhouette Moon, where he slept outside of the flow of time till I went and re-awoke him and brought him back into the world, and do to the existence of an official Uzumaki Clan that had been born from Senju's line along with the Senju Clan itself, we agreed he would be known as Minato now. And I'm sure you know the rest, seeing as you caused his death" says Mada, her tone filled with anger.

"He made the choice to invoke the shinigami, not me. I can't be blamed for that" spat out Tobi, making Mada clench her fist at her oldest seemingly lack of caring. "Though I do mourn him in my own way" he then adds, trying to act like he cared.

Mada doesn't buy it though, but decides to put it off to the side for the moment as there would be plenty of time for punishment here soon. "And as for me, your father and I developed a way to use my natural talent with nature energy to freeze myself within a moments time, allowing me to live far beyond what was possible for any human. In doing this, I could try to stop the second age if possible and if I couldn't do it, then I could at least train a new generation of heroes to do the job. Of course, I have opted to do both just to be safe."

"Well that makes sense, I guess" says Tobi. "And I knew something was going on with Hinata, what with her always paying visits to the professor's lab. Heh, to be honest, I always thought she and the professor had some secret relationship going on despite the major age difference."

"Get your mind out of the gutter" says Mada, while thinking the humor in that as some of those visits wasn't about the genetic encoding, but Hinata spending time with her boyfriend in secret. This thought brought up an old memory for her. Wasn't Hinata's boyfriend also named Naruto? Naruto Kishimoto to be exact. It seemed Hinata's were always attracted to boys named Naruto, or that's what Mada assumed at least.

"Now tell me, Uchiha, why do you have a Sharingan when it took many generations for your descendents to gain it. Is that body of yours a former Uchiha Clan member?" asked Mada.

"No, this body was just one I found some years ago that had a talent for controlling other blood limits. I believe it was from the Hatake ninja family, possibly a cousin to the White Fang of Konoha. The Sharingan was taken from the body of Obito Uchiha, though it took me a few years to heal the eye given it was nearly crushed. But it was worth it though thanks to its Mangekyou ability, the Kamui; a power that allows one to shift themselves and others into an alternate phase space."

"So that's how you managed to kill Kushina then, as well as cause all that trouble in recent years as well" says Mada.

"I won't deny it."

"And what of the Uzugan then?" asked Mada, referring to Uchiha's left eye. "You only have one now."

"Yes, I lost my other one as a result of that fight with Senju. But I have kept this one because even if the Uzugan's hypnotic powers of absolute control have been lessened greatly, it can still be used to manipulate people to some degree. And when combined with the Sharingan's genjutsu based powers, it can be surprisingly effective. It can even bend a Biju to it's will inside the Makai Realm."

"I see I was to lax back then, assuming you had actually died" says Mada. "Now comes my real question. Just what are you planning? What is all of this for that led you to control the Biju and force them into this world, forcing Biju Jinchuriki to be made. Why kill Kushina Uzumaki and take her heart from her body and also play Mizukage and cause the bloodline purge that wiped out so many clans?"

Tobi raises his eyebrows in surprise, saying "Wow, you even know about that? I'm truly impressed."

"Is it some sort of world domination plan or something?" asked Mada.

"World domination?" says Tobi before laughing, hard. "What foolishness is that? Who would want to rule the world? So much work to keep everything in check is to much if you ask me, not worth the trouble. No mother, I have no disillusion about ruling the world. No, all I want is simply what I'm owed...my birth right."

Mada looks at him, shocked to hear that. "Your birth right? You mean, all of this...all the pain, suffering, and death you have caused...was so you could become the Jubi's Jinchuriki? YOU FOOL OF A BOY."

"Why is that foolish? To want to succeed father as the Sage and lead all mankind into the greater tomorrow. Look what has happened since father's death. Man has veered off the course, driving itself back into being like the old world was, the world that caused the Age of Darkness to begin with. Only the Sage can keep everyone on the right track and, as the oldest, it was both my right, my duty, and my honor to continue both yours and father's noble mission as well as to pass it on to the next generation when the time came."

"Uchiha, you idiot. Don't you understand why your father chose to course he did? Surely you remember what holding that force inside himself did to him, leaving him always sick and weak and bed ridden. It was torture to him, always leaving him in agony though he did his best to hide that fact from you four. He didn't want you, or anyone, to ever suffer like he had to" yells Mada.

"Oh, but I do understand. I understand he didn't have faith in me or my ability, he never really did. Why else did he always show more favor to Senju and not me? He even chose Senju as his named successor over me" says Tobi.

"But that was only because of your own personal actions. Senju was calmer and more willing to find peaceful solutions where as you were more about force" says Mada.

"It doesn't matter now for that is all in the past" says Tobi as he places his mask back on. "My mind will not be swayed, no matter what you say. I will become Jubi's Jinchuriki once the perfect body I have been growing is ready and I have captured all the Jinchuriki."

"I see" says Mada, feeling a great sadness take her. She had honestly hoped she could reason with him, get him to stop this. But there was no other choice now, she would have to kill her own son in order to save the world. "Then you leave me no choice, Uchiha. I will kill if that's what it will take to stop you."

And then, with blurring speed, Mada pulls her cane off the ground and launch's it at Tobi. For a split second, Tobi is thinking _'Seriously, she thinks her wooden cane will hurt me?' _But his words are taken aback as the cane sudden turns into pure energy, forcing him to activate Kamui in order to escape it. The energy wrapped cane falls and collides with the rock, shattering and fading away.

"Pretty nasty attack there, mom. Surprising too. But if you think you can defeat me with moves like that, then I won't even need to get serious here" says Tobi.

"It seems you have forgotten, Uchiha, what your mother is capable of. I guess it's time I remind you" says Mada before bringing her hands together. An aura forms around her body followed by runic seals appearing on her skin. Both Tobi and Zetsu back away due to the intense heat that was coming off her. The light grows brighter and brighter till Mada could no longer be seen. And then, the light blast outwards, creating a deep crater upon the head of the statue they both stood on.

There was smoke for a moment, smoke that is quickly blown away by the wind, revealing Amarillo in her former glory; long golden hair, smooth, youthful looking skin, and a look of power in her overall stance. "And don't think I'll go easy on this time like I did before during all those training sessions" says Amarillo, her voice matching her newly restored youth.

Uchiha was shocked to say the least as he wasn't expecting this. _'So this was another benefit of locking you in a moments time, huh mother? I guess that's why you took on such an aged appearance.'_

"I'll admit that this is a little unnerving, but don't think I'm as week as I was before. I may no longer have my original body, but I am still strong enough now to kill you" says Uchiha. "Don't make me do this, mother. You know I'm in the right here."

"All the more reason why I need to do this. Your ego has become to great and as your parent, it is my duty to reprimand you" says Amarillo before adding "Zetsu, I suggest you stay out of this."

"Believe us, we're not stupid enough to interfere here" says both Zetsu in unison.

Amarillo and Uchiha face each other, each waiting to see if the other would make the first move. Another strong wind pass's by, bringing with it a small leaf passing between the two. The moment the leaf had passed, Amarillo makes the first move, moving at her son with lightning like speed.

Uchiha brings his arms up to guard his body as Amarillo lands her first blow; a hit that lands with enough the blow Uchiha back a good twenty feet, nearly sending him flying off the top of Mada Uchiha's stone head. He recovers as Amarillo comes at him, faking another punch before suddenly going into a low spin, sweeping Uchiha off his legs. He twist his body, planting a hand on the ground then pushing off while sending his legs kicking wildly outwards. Amarillo blocks each kick, then notices Uchiha's legs beginning to glow, forcing Amarillo to jump back as Uchiha launch's a slicing wave through his legs. Amarillo smacks the attack to the side before heading back in.

Amarillo sends another punch, but this one pass's through Uchiha who then moves to the side so he could then grab her arm and launching his own series of punch's and kicks. Amarillo tries to counter, but each attack simply pass's through Uchiha now as he times his Kamui perfectly. Amarillo then jumps backwards, then surrounds her hands with chakra before going in for another round of attacks.

_'It's pointless, mother' _thinks Uchiha as her attacks continue to pass through him. _'You think if you attack fast enough, you'll catch me in a moment when I have to phase back? Sorry, but there's no way you'll ever land a hit on...'_

His thoughts come to an sudden end as Amarillo's fist smash into his face, shattering the mask he was wearing, and sending him flying from the statue head down towards the lake below, moving at a speed that was creating visible distortions in the air. He slams into the water below, skipping along it like a stone till he collides with the surrounding land, carving a deep trench nearly two hundred feet in length before finally coming to a stop.

Uchiha groans as he picks himself up. He had been lucky the mask was as strong as it was or else her blow would have crushed his skull in. In fact, he was lucky he had he was still conscious after that blow, showing that it had been a good idea on his part to reinforce this body just in case he ever battles his mother again. But still, there was one question remaining.

_'How the hell did she do that? I'm certain that the Kamui was still active' _wonders Uchiha, then recalling when she had thrown her cane at him. It had passed through him...after it had turned into energy. _'Wait, was it that...?'_

Amarillo lands in the water and approach's as Uchiha stand again, although his legs were a little wobbly. "When I threw my cane and it passed through you, it left a chakra signature mixed in with your lingering chakra signature that's left over when ever you use Kamui to perform partial phasing. All I had to do now was use my own chakra to find the frequency your Kamui resonates at and then..."

"You could land a hit on me even if I use Kamui" finish's Uchiha. "Well played, mother. I would expect nothing less from you. Oh well, relying on it would make this fight boring anyways." Uchiha then walks forward as his Sharingan begins to swirl, creating a portal.

"Let's take this fight to a more fitting location" says Uchiha as both he and Amarillo are pulled into the vortex. Within moments, they reemerge within the Kamui space, which looked strangly familiar to Amarillo.

"This place..." says Amarillo.

"You like it, mom? I modified it just for you, to resemble your home city" says Uchiha before throwing off his Akatsuki robes. He then makes several hand signs, making seal marks appear on his body which then release. "There, now I can fight on a more even field as you now."

"Then let's end this" says Amarillo as the two of them charge at each other, neither knowing the price the other was going to pay for this fight.

Uchiha jumps up and over Amarillo's first attack, landing behind her, then spinning around with a kick intended to knock her off her feet, but Amarillo jumps over his sweep, going into a spin while extending a leg outwards, bringing it down hard as Uchiha rolls back and the leg strike slams into the ground, creating a crater. Uchiha is quick to get back on his feet while pressing his hands together, creating a staff made from pure energy while Amarillo begins to fire off a volley of chakra bullets from her hands to which Uchiha blocks them while moving forward, then swings his energy staff at his mother whole responds by rolling under it, dodging the attack.

As she comes out of the roll, Uchiha had already turned back towards her, raising his staff upwards then thrusting it down to impale her. Amarillo dodges again with another quick roll then goes to get back on her feet only to feel Uchiha grab her shoulders with one hand, then push his body off the ground to get in behind her while using the momentum to launch Amarillo off the ground, into one of the fake buildings. Amarillo crash's through the wall as Uchiha jumps into the air, throwing his staff at the building, causing the whole thing to explode though Amarillo jumps from the explosion, landing safely on the ground before motioning at him to come at her again.

Uchiha comes at her and Amarillo suddenly does a spinning jump to the side, landing on a large chunk of the building, causing it to flip upwards, which she then round house kicks to her son. Reacting quickly, he does a forward slide underneath the projectile as there was just enough space for him to fit through. But as he clears the underside, his eyes see his mother above him, having ridden piggy back her attack as she lets go, does a spin to orientate herself, then dives down, landing a blow on him before leaning back, grabbing his legs, then jumping while swinging him up and around, launching him into another fake building.

A few seconds after Uchiha crashed into the building, it explodes, sending large chunks of debris flying at Amarillo who jumps from one to another while running toward her son as he begins moving at her as well, following after the building's remains. She goes in low; he high, as they each dodge the others attacks, then sending punch's at one another for several blows before flipping backwards and forming balls of energy in their hands which they launch at each other. The attacks collide, creating a blinding flash of light. As the light fades, Uchiha sees his mother already coming at him and so responds in kind by rushing at her as well.

Amarillo jumps again and Uchiha tries to push her away with his hands, but she moves her leg just slightly, planting it on his shoulder before doing a spin, sending a kick to his face that sends him flying back. But she grabs hold of one of his legs and push's him back towards her while sending her elbow slamming down hard into his gut which sends him slamming and bouncing off the ground to which she then kick pushes him off into another building.

He is quick to recover and pick himself back up, though the blood coming from his mouth and the cuts on his face do give him pause for concern as Amarillo comes in with a punch, to which he uses one of his legs to block then leaps off the ground with the other leg, launching a barrage of kicks both direct and arching at his mother while twisting his body and planting his hands upon the ground; gripping her head with both legs to send her spinning in the air, then kicking her skywards. He then spins his lower body around as it returns to the ground so he can launch himself into the air above Amarillo, then instead of landing a hit, uses his still airborne body to jump even higher while twisting around while energy forms in his hands. He releases blast of light that shoot outwards then arc down at Amarillo as she lands, throwing her arms into a guard position as the attacks land and explode around her.

Uchiha lands on the ground, turns, and makes a run for the largest tower like structure in the area. The smoke clears around Amarillo who quickly chases after Uchiha, arriving at the tower just as her son reaches the top. While on the way up, he had made several hand signs so that when he reached the top, he could slam his fist into the ground, causing a devastating chain reaction.

"Let's see how you handle this one" he shouts as lines race down from his strike point, then shooting out all over the fake cityscape before everything implodes, sending them both as well as the surviving remnants of the fake city into free fall above an unending abyss.

Suddenly, the debris shifts and turns into one never ending tower like structure which races ever onward into the unknown. Amarillo maneuvers her descent so she can shift her position and plant her feet upon the surface of the tower, but finds the force pulling her towards the abyss to strong to stop her movement so she opts for sliding towards the bottom as Uchiha appears higher up, running down the side at her.

The whole thing felt like a combination of sky diving and surfing, except on the side of this tower like object. Amarillo extends her left hand, firing off a fresh volley of chakra blast while Uchiha counters by reforming his energy staff, spinning it around to counter her attack. He then throws the staff at Amarillo, which she grabs from midair; breaking it in half then spinning it as she turns it into something for her own use. Uchiha smirks while lifting one leg clear of the tower, then stomping it down before jumping and going back into a proper free fall. Amarillo, hearing stone creaking, spins around and sees pillars rising from the towers sides, acting like barriers to block her away. She then breaks into a run, increasing her descent speed as she dances around each pillar, cutting through the ones she couldn't dodge around using the broken energy staff.

Uchiha comes in over her and she tries to swing her weapon at him, but he knocks them from her hands before spinning and landing a few kicks, then sails down a little farther and lands in her path. But Amarillo is quick to launch the next attack, grabbing him by his face, then plowing him through the remaining stone barricades as they come up. She then push's off the tower, landing them both on a piece of a pillar in free fall at which time Uchiha frees himself from her hold, then rush's her with his next attack. But Amarillo dodges it by flipping over him, then throwing him into a bear hug from behind before he could turn back at her, lifts him up and then does a suplex on him, leaving half his body sticking out of one side and the other half on the other side. Amarillo then flips herself off the piece, grabbing the edge and sending it into a spin as Uchiha tries to free himself.

Amarillo use the spin to launch her upwards a few meters while twisting herself back around and gathering nature energy into her hands, releasing a massive emerald green ball of fire at Uchiha and the pillar piece, causing them both to hit by the explosion from the impact. Uchiha emerges from the smoke, a swelling of dark energy around a fist, but Amarillo ducks under his swing and kicks him back downwards before using Swift Sprint to accelerate herself, catching Uchiha in a close line and races the both of them further down, finally impacting onto some ground. Amarillo is the first to emerge from the crater, jumping away then looking back to wait for Uchiha to emerge. She was beginning to breath heavily as she was also losing blood from her own injuries. And worse was that she was running out of time. Looking at her left hand, she can see it was beginning to lose it's youthful form and revert to the aged self from before.

"You truly are a monster, mom" says Uchiha as he stumbles from the smoke, also looking battered and beaten. "I always wondered what you could do when you didn't hold back and now I know..."

"Let's stop this now, Uchiha. Before this battle kills us both" says Amarillo, not wanting to kill her own child if she could avoid it. After all, despite what he had done, he was still her son and she hoped he could still be reasoned with.

"You and I both know that its far to late for that" says Uchiha, standing tall. "Also, I can tell this youthening you went through it running out of time. I admit that even I can't keep this up much longer. So what do you say we end this with one final attack."

Amarillo sighs, then nods. "So be it. If this is the only way" she says while holding a hand outwards, forming her own version of the Rasengan. "Then I will do what I know needs to be done..."

Uchiha raises his right hand to the sky, forming pure dark chakra around it. "Just for you, my Omega Zenith attack. And now, time to join dad...in death" shouts Uchiha before running at his mother who also charges him with her emerald colored Rasengan.

They close the distance from each other quickly and are upon one another within a split second, then Uchiha fully releases his attack which becomes like a spear and impales Amarillo through her chest, making her eyes bulge as she coughs up blood, stopping her movements and seemingly making her go limp. "You've gotten soft, mother."

"Have I?" she counters as her Rasengan suddenly glows brighter before suddenly shrinking to the size of a marble, then shooting from her hand at Uchiha's face, making him howl in pain as it makes contact with the Uzugan. Uchiha releases his attack on Amarillo and she collapses to the ground while he stumbles, a hand over his left eye and unable to hide the blood pouring from the wound.

"GAH, my eye. My damn eye" he roars as he collapses to his knees. His Sharingan eye looks at her with such rage and hate. "How could you? The Uzugan...you now destroyed it completely."

"And now you can't control them no more" says Amarillo, feeling some satisfaction in knowing that.

Uchiha keeps his anger filled eye locked on her for a moment more before taking in a deep breath, then says "No matter, it's loss though unfortunate is minor seeing as I hadn't a need for it anymore anyways." He then steps forward, pulls Amarillo up, and activates the Kamui to send them back to the real world.

"You finally lost, mom" says Uchiha as they reappear in the Final Valley. "You finally..."

"Don't be so sure" says Amarillo, suddenly throwing him into a bear hug. "I knew this battle would be the death of me, no matter what. But with this, my final act which will draw upon all my remaining power, we'll both go and join with your father on the other side."

Uchiha's eye goes wide as he body begins to glow; the power of nature energy being channeled like nothing he had ever seen. ""No, wait mother..."

"Goodby, my troublesome little boy. Please forgive me for not being able to save you" says Amarillo, a smile on her face as they both are pulled into the blast; a force strong enough to reshape the Final Valley and destroy the twin statues in an instant.

As the dust settles, Zetsu rises from the ground and White Zetsu says "Wow, that was terrifying."

"Forget about that, idiot' Where's Uchiha at?" asked Black Zetsu as he looks around.

A form is seen moving in the distance through the smoke, coming towards them. A moment later, Uchiha emerges, with no sign of injury upon his body. "Master, are you OK?" asked Zetsu.

"I'll live...though at a price" was Uchiha's response as the Sharingan gives off a faint glow before turning dark, then turning dead white to match the rest of his eyeball color. "I had to use it, the Uchiha Clan's final jutsu; Izanagi, in order to survive that. And all it cost me was this Sharingan and the power of the Kamui."

"And your Uzugan?" asked Zetsu.

"Also lost I'm afraid" says Uchiha. "Come, we're done here. Take me back to the lab so I can transplant some replacement eyes."

"Understood, master" says Zetsu before looking towards the motionless body of Amarillo, which had returned to looking like her elder Mada state. "What about your mother...?"

"Leave her. I'm sure they'll notice she's missing soon enough and will search for her, finding her here. I have no doubt they'll attend to her funeral."

"Understood" says Zetsu as he takes hold of Uchiha's hand, then begins to sink the both of them into the ground.

Though he was now blind, for the moment, Uchiha turns his head back towards his mother's body anyways as he thinks _"I'm sorry as well mother, sorry that I was nothing but a disappointment to you and father. But this has to be done, it needs to be done. And only I can do it. There's no longer any alternative left but to do it now.'_

"Goodbye, mother..."

The on the ground and lifeless, there was yet a spark left within Amarillo, though that spark was quickly fading. _'I've done all I can here. Now, Naruto, it's up to you, Hinata, Hanabi, and the rest to finish what I and Musashi started all those years ago. I know you can do it for you are not alone as even if you don't know it yet, they are with you. And because...you all are my precious children and as such, I know you'll succeed for that is the faith of a parent.'_

_'I'll be watching and believing in you...so never give up...'_

And then, Amarillo, the last of the old heroes, finally passed on into history.

**To be continued...**

**AN: **Well, this concludes chapter 25. I hope you all liked the big reveal for both Mada and Tobi's identities. If nothing else, Tobi's true self is better than he is in the manga in my opinion.

Now for some bad news. Due to me having recently lost my job (back in late April to be more exact hence why my RMN releases came as fast as they did in May), I'm finding myself rather short of cash and it looks like my internet, along with my cable too, will have to be shut off for the next few months as I have not the money to pay that particular bill. I'll try to release a few more NITF chapters before I lose my internet. So if my releases suddenly stop over any greater length of time here in the near future, it's because my internet is down (and hopefully not also meaning I'm homeless).

The next chapter will deal with Amarillo and Musashi's younger years and chpt.27 will have a big reveal about Orochimaru's Eight Faces.

Till next time...


	26. 26 Look Past, Past Point

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.26: Look Back, Past Point**

Before Amarillo and Uchiha had their fateful, and fatal, battle...

Before Naruto and Orochimaru exchanged words with one another...

Before Pain came to Senhana and Naruto learning of Hinata still living self...

There was the moment of a revelation.

"Actually, there is one more matter we should speak of now" says Naruto, then looking at Hanabi who nods in agreement with him.

Mada stops walking forward and looks back at them, asking "What is it?"

"Ancient granny, we have to know" says Naruto, allowing a pause to pass before Hanabi finished the question.

"You're really Amarillo, aren't you?"

"Amarillo? Me? You think I'm Amarillo?" asked Mada before bursting into a laugh. "Oh, that's a good one. Do you know how crazy that idea sounds...?"

Naruto and Hanabi blush, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess it would..."

Mada's laugh stops and she speaks up again, breaking into Naruto's words. "Or, that's what I would say if it wasn't true."

"Huh? You mean..." asked Hanabi.

Mada nods, then says "I haven't gone by the name Amarillo in a long time, a very, very long time." She then gives them an affectionate grin, then ask "So tell me; what gave my true self away?"

"Well, back in Avalon, I couldn't help but notice the computer their called you Amarillo, not Mada. Though at the time, I was sure I had simply heard it wrong as I was still learning the ancient lingo" explained Hanabi.

"And when we were fighting those phantoms of Musashi and Amarillo, I realized that the feeling I was getting from Amarillo through my Sage sense was one I had felt before, quite recently in fact. It was the same feeling I had felt from you, ancient granny" adds Naruto.

"So we put two and two together and..." continued Hanabi.

"And made a guess, a correct guess I might add, as to who I was" says Mada, smiling proudly at them. "Seeing you both showing such observational skills and great deduction abilities warms my heart and makes me feel at ease."

"So, how is it you are here with us now, ancient granny? And why change your name to Mada?" asked Naruto.

"That...is a long story, to long for me to tell here to you two. But, I suppose I can tell you something about me and my past, though I can't guarantee you'll have any answers. Thank of this as a reward for coming this far and figuring out my secret" says Mada as she waves her hand, making a chair appear for her to rest on. She then press's her hands together, then pulls them apart to reveal a bubble in which images begin to appear in. Naruto and Hanabi sit on the floor and watch as Mada began her story.

"It all began in a time before the time you know; when the world was an entirely different beast all together..."

**(a few ? years ago)**

She walked down the street, still have asleep as her body shanties from side and yawn after yawn escaped from her. The girl with shoulder length blond hair was having a serious mental debate on whether or not she should just turn around and head back to the dorms and crawl back into her warm, inviting bed. After all, it's not like anything important was going to happen at the academy today.

"Hey, Amarillo" calls out another girl who had striking red spiky hair as she comes running up. "So, you ready for the professor's big test slash lecture today?"

Like I said, nothing IMPORTANT...to Amarillo anyways.

"What do you think, Washu?" says Amarillo, her voice sounding as deadpan as she looked tired. "I was up all night, studying as if my life depended on it, and forgot to get any serious sleep. Now I'm I'm both to tired to think and I can't even recall anything that I studied either."

"Well, if only you would actually try keeping up like the rest of us do, then maybe you wouldn't have these problem's" says Washu, who gets a dirty look from Amarillo.

"Shut up. You know I'm busy with other things...more important things" says Amarillo.

"Oh, you mean training yourself to become the most powerful girl in the world because of that thing involving you and nature energy or you going around and telling everyone how you'll one day be greater than the greats in history?" asked Washu.

"Exactly" says Amarillo. "Who cares about school when there are other things that matter more."

"_Boy, you sound a lot like me, ancient granny" comes Naruto's voice._

"_Yeah, well...there's a reason for that" says Mada, allowing herself a second to chuckle._

The two girls turn a corner, then cross the street and moving onto the main path that would lead them into the academy. "Say, Amarillo..." comes Washu's voice.

"What is it?" asked Amarillo, still a little grumpy but at least now she was starting to wake up.

"Isn't today the day we're going to be getting that new student in our class. You know, the one who's said to be the kid of lady Uzumakie?" asked Washu.

Amarillo thinks about it, then says "Yeah, I think so." She then smiles a snarky grin, saying "Poor bum, bad enough he'll have to be stuck with a professor like Hohenhiem as his teacher, but to be tossed in with us on the day of one of his infamous test AND lectures."

"Maybe the professor will take it easy on him?" offered Washu.

"Yeah right" says Amarillo. "Makai will freeze over before that day comes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" says Washu who then blush's. "I wonder if he'll be a hottie. I hope so as I could use a hot guy for my scientific research projects."

Amarillo sighs, shaking her head in exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?"

Thirty minutes later, the two girls had arrived at their classroom, which had already filled with their fellow classmates...well, most of them. They could see Yosho Jirai and Amidamaru Asakura talking with one another. Then off to one side, Vash Stampede was tripping up as he walked up some steps as he headed to his seat. And they could see the two partners, Maka and Soul, chatting it up with their friends.

"Looks like everyone's ready for today's class...well, almost everyone" says Washu, looking at Amarillo with a grin while Amarillo shoots her another dirty "I'm going to kill you" look back at her. They then head up to their seats, taking a few moments to chat with others present they were friends with.

The sound of the door sliding open, along with a ringing sound that signaled the professor's arrival, signal's everyone that it was time to take their seats. Into the room steps a man who appeared to be in his early thirties with bright blonde hair that was tied in the back in a pony tail and a neatly trimmed beard.

He looks around the classroom, then says "I'm glad to see everyone is here today." He then looks at Amarillo specifically, and adds "I was expecting...some of you to try skipping out today."

Amarillo sinks down behind her desk a little as she hears several of the other students snicker at her. "As you all know, today we'll be having an important test. But before we get to that, there's someone here I want all of you to meet and give a warm welcome too."

After a pause, he continues. "As I'm sure you have all heard, our academy has gotten itself a new student, one who has shown to possess great potential within him. I hope you'll all treat him kindly and help him ease into life here at the academy. And now, I'll introduce you to your new comrade..."

Hohenhiem then looks back to the door, making a motion with his hand. A few moment's later, a boy walked into the room, dressed in a cream colored tunic and pant's with a light blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He had white, spiky hair, and pale colored skin. And then their was his eyes with iris's of a soft lavender color around the pupil.

"Please to meet you all" says the boy in a meek, nervous tone. "I'm Musashi Namikaze." He then bows respectfully to them.

For a second, there was silence, then several of the girls in the room scream out "He's so cute. He's like a living doll." And other such things.

One boy mumbles out "He looks like a total sissy boy if you ask me."

Amarillo, hearing this, nods a little as she looks at Musashi, thinking _'Yeah, really. And here I was kinda hoping he'd be cool. But this kid doesn't ooze cool. He's to girly like for his own good.'_

Hohenhiem places a hand on Musashi's shoulder, getting his attention, while using his free hand to point up towards the students. "You'll be sitting in that open space there."

"Understood, sir" says Musashi as he walks up the steps, then takes his seat.

"Um...hello, Musashi" comes the voice of a girl, one who sounded even meeker than he had before.

Musashi turns his head and looks at the girl. "Oh, hello. Heh, I guess me and you are going to be seating partner together, huh?"

The girl nods, saying "It looks like it. I...I'm Ako...Ako Izumi" says the blue haired girl.

"Got it, miss Ako Ako" says Musashi.

The girl shakes her head, saying "Actually, it's just one Ako, mister Musashi. And you don't need to add the miss to my name."

"Oh, right. Sorry" says Musashi, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "And you don't need to call me mister either if you don't want too."

"Oh boy, looks like our two freak classmates have become friends" says Amidamaru.

"Good for them" says Yosho, feeling that maybe they could help each other break free of their shyness.

"And now that that's out of the way, I would like each of you to stand up and introduce yourselves to Musashi so we can then begin today's lesson's" says Hohenhiem before taking a seat at his desk.

Several hours later, Amarillo found herself floating within, in her mind was, a giant water jar centered within professor Van Hohenhiem's research lab. And she wasn't exactly in a good mood either, evident from the vein on her forehead that was growing bigger and bigger.

"Please try to relax, Amarillo" comes Van's voice from over at his computer terminal, multitasking both doing his weekly readings on her while grading the test scores from the exam. "You know I can't get proper readings when you're mentally agitated."

"Oh gee, I wonder why" she gripes out. "Having to take that dumb as heck exam, then having to sit through another of those boring ass lectures of yours. And, to top it off, here I am AGAIN butt naked inside a giant fish tank while you're probably taking some of the pervy pictures of me."

"You wish I would be" was his response, making her grind her teeth together. "Sorry, but I don't go for underage girls...especially girls who are still as flat as a pancake."

"I'm just a late bloomer, that's all. Just wait, in a few more years, my nature energy empowered body will be smoking all the other girls around" she says in a huff, crossing her hands over her chest. "Then you'll be begging me for a date, not that I'll ever give you one."

"Glad to hear it" he says. "By the way, your exam score is another under average one...just like that body of yours."

"Why you" she growls.

Hohenhiem sighs, then sits back and says "Why can't you do better? You're a smarter girl than what your test scores show's show you to be. If only you would apply yourself more, you'd have no problem being one of our top students her at the academy."

"I hate studying" says Amarillo. "Besides, what good is an education going to do me anyways? After all, we both know living a normal life is impossible for me, given what I am."

"If you really believe that, then that's how it really will be then" says Hohenhiem, wishing she had a more positive view on her future other than being a lab rat who would always be under the microscope.

After a silent moment, Amarillo ask "By the way, how'd the new kid do on the test?"

"Why the sudden interest? Does our little Amarillo have herself a crush, I wonder?" asked Hohenhiem.

"Fat chance" comes Amarillo. "He's to girly for a any girl to ever like. I just wondering if he has a lot to learn now that he's here at the academy is all."

"I see" says Hohenhiem, not really buying her claim. "Well, young Musashi did rather well all things considered. He was third overall in the test, only being behind Ako and Yosho in the ranking."

"What? He did that good?" cries Amarillo. She then huffs again, saying "Bad enough that he's a girly boy, but a brainiac girly boy to boot. That's so not cool."

"Maybe you think so now, but your still young after all. Who knows, perhaps one day you'll see guys like him in a different light" offered Hohenhiem.

"Yeah, right..." says Amarillo, not buying that for a second.

Twenty minutes later, Amarillo was finally out of the tank, dried up, and back in her clothes and walking up to the professor, asking "So, did you learn anything new this time?"

"No" says Hohenhiem, which makes Amarillo pop another vein in her forehead. "But with each test, I am getting new data. In time, all the data combined may be enough to tell us how you can be drawing in nature energy constantly without suffering from the petrifaction effect that is common from nature energy."

"I hope your right, professor" says Amarillo. "Anyways, I better get going."

Amarillo then bows before running out of the lab and soon enough, out of the academy as she goes to meet up with Washu and the other girls for their usual afternoon fun having.

**(with Musashi)**

"Thanks for giving me a tour of the area, Ako" says Musashi as they take some seats at a local cafe Ako liked visiting for some food and drinks.

"Sure thing" says Ako. "So, are you enjoying your time here in Avalon so far?"

"Yeah, it's a nice place. People are friendly and the academy seems like a great place to go, filled with many colorful people" says Musashi.

"Glad to hear it. Now, we better order something or else uncle will get mad" says Ako before looking at the digital menu that had appeared on the table the moment they had sat down in the chairs.

"Uncle? So, you have family working here then?" asked Musashi as he also looked at the menu.

"No, he's not my uncle by blood. A lot of us kids like to come here and we call the owner uncle because he has that feel about him, you know" says Ako as she finds her favorite item and taps her finger against it, then scrolls down to her favorite drink and selects it too. She then notices Musashi looked confused and ask "First time using something like this, huh?"

Musashi looks at her and blush's as her nervously rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, to be honest. We didn't have such advanced technology back where I'm from. I'm not really familiar with a lot of these food and drink options either."

"I see" says Ako as she gets up from her seat and moves around the table to his, sitting next to him. "Here, I'll show you how to use it. And if it's OK with you, I'll choose something for you to try out and see if you like."

"Sure, OK" says Musashi as Ako gives him a hard look over then scrolls down both the food and drink listings.

"Here, try this combo out. I think you'll like it" she says, pressing a finger against the two choices, then confirms the order on both his and hers before returning to her side of the table. "It'll be about seven minutes before it's ready."

"That's fine" says Musashi, wondering if he should tell her about his old life, or if he should ask her about her own though he wonders if it would be rude to ask about her life or start telling her about his own. At this point in his life, Musashi was very worried about offending others and making them think badly of him.

"You're probably wondering about it, huh?" asked Ako suddenly.

"About what?" he asked, not sure what she meant.

"About how I can be in the academy when I'm so young" says Ako, who then realizes he wasn't sure what she was talking about. "You do know I'm underage for academy admittance, don't you?"

"You are, seriously?" asked Musashi, obviously surprised. "I didn't know. I mean, I noticed you were smaller than anyone else in the professor's class, but I assumed you...well...um"

"I was a loli-like girl, huh?" asked Ako.

"Yeah" says Musashi, now feeling embarrassed.

"I guess that's the first and most obvious thought anyone would have, so I'll forgive you" says Ako, giving him a playful smile. If she had realized sooner that he had thought that, then maybe she could have played it out a bit for fun. "Actually, I'm four years younger than everyone else in the class. I'm only in the class because of my test scores led me to be tossed into an advanced placement program."

"So, why did you come here to the academy anyways, Musashi?" she asked.

"Well, that's..." he says, wondering what he should say seeing as he had been told to not speak on it.

"OK, midget, here's your order" comes a deep voiced man who then notices Musashi, adding "Ah, we have a new face today. Never served a pedo before."

"A PEDO?" cries Musashi while Ako gives the man a dirty look.

"He's not a pedo, uncle. He's a new student at the academy whom I happen to be showing around."

"I'm kidding, midget. Only fooling around" he says as he places the food and drinks down. "Nice to meet you, kid. Word of warning though, be careful of this one. She can be quite troublesome."

"What do you know, uncle" yells Ako as he laughs and heads back to work. "Sorry about him."

Musashi shakes his head, saying "Don't worry about it. I'm actually happy to see people can be relaxed even in places like this." He then takes his first bite of the food. "Mm, it's good."

"I knew you'd like it" says Ako as she begins eating her own meal.

Outside, and a few blocks down, Amarillo is walking with Washu and several other girls. "So, should we stop by Uncle's Place and get some munchies or something?" asked one of the girls.

"No way" says Amarillo dismissively. "The food there is terrible."

Washu grins, saying "You only say that because Uncle always greets you as miss flat chest."

"Shut up" yells Amarillo. "I hate that perverted pedo" she adds in a huff which makes the other girls laugh.

"So, down to the galleria then?" asked another girl.

"Well, of course. Then we can get some real food and do some serious shop..." Amarillo stops as she feels it in the air, a darkness that was suddenly rising up from a pit of evil.

"Amarillo?"

Amarillo spins around to face them, saying "Girls..." Her words are cut off as several shadows come over them and the others look up to see 5 creatures coming down towards them. "Yoma..."

The first, a cheetah like creature with electric sparks racing up and down it's tail, is the first to land, zipping past Amarillo and making a beeline towards the others girls. Luckily, Washu had been quick, also feeling something dangerous in the air like Amarillo had and had reached into her pocket, pulling out a device which she aimed at the Yoma and activated it, creating a barrier directly in front of herself that rebounded the attacking beast back away from her and the others. The Yoma snarls, saying something in its native tongue before going at her again.

Meanwhile, Amarillo barely had time to jump back as a second Yoma, this one looking like a gorilla who's skeleton was outside the body, came down at her, its attack leaving a potent looking crater where she had been standing just moments before. _'Damn, where did these things come from?'_

She knew that because of their sudden appearance, evident do to the lack of a warning alarm being sounded, it would be some time before the city guard arrived. "Washu, contact the..."

"We're doing that now" yells back Washu as another of the girls was making the call why Washu was keeping the cheetah like Yoma from getting at them using her frontal shield device. Meanwhile, it had been joined by the third beast, a man lizard with flaming hair running along its back.

Seeing the trouble her friends were in Amarillo, goes to help them when she finds the fourth Yoma, a snake like creature, taking her by surprise and coiling around her with enough force to crush a grown adult being applied. If not for her power, she'd already be dead now.

"Looks like your luck has run out, girl" hiss's out the snake, it's fork like tongue caressing her cheek with makes her shudder in disgust.

"You would think so..." she says as she closes her eyes, allowing her power to be released in full force. Her eyes then open, a glow having been born within the blue her eyes had as she push's out hard, making the snakes body strain violently for a moment, before ripping apart from her own power. The snake gives off a screeching hiss which Amarillo quickly silences by stomping down on its head.

"Dirty human" comes the flaming lizard man, turning its attention to her and charging. Amarillo looks back at it then runs towards it in turn, sending her fist into its chest, landing a blow that sends a pulse of nature energy surging through its body, killing it quickly.

The cheetah roars before racing at her now while a screeching is heard, making Amarillo look up to see the fifth Yoma, some sort of bird beast, also coming at her through a dive. But the cheetah was faster then the bird and Amarillo was just faster still, doing a low leg sweep to trip up the cheetah Yoma, then kicking it up into the air, making it collide with the bird Yoma with Amarillo following, clasping her hands together, and hammering down on them both which sends them crashing down onto the ground, either dead or severely injured.

Amarillo lands on her feet and gives the four beast a sour look, saying "What light weights..."

"Amarillo, behind you" yells Washu, making her spin around to see the skeleton wearing gorilla.

"So, you are the special one we were looking for" it says before approaching her.

"I'm special to you freaks, huh?" jokes Amarillo, breaking into a run to finish him in one hit. "I'm feeling flattered." She then sends her fist flying at the creature, who replies by raising its hand up and blocking her attack with no sign of injury to itself. "What?" she says, surprised as this hadn't happened before.

"Like I said, we have been looking for you" says the Yoma before getting a firm grip on to her wrist, one stronger than she could free herself from. It then brings it face in close, adding "We're going to have such fun with you back home..."

_'Damn' _thinks Amarillo, now feeling worried.

"Amarillo, duck" yells Washu as she flips a switch on her shield generator. Knowing her friends taste in creating weird devices, Amarillo does as she's told as Washu fires a ball of energy out the hits the Yoma, not seemingly doing anything to it.

The Yoma looks at her, saying "Was that suppose to hurt?"

He gets his answer when the exposed skeleton suddenly begins to shrink and contract in on itself. This takes it by surprise, leading to its grip on Amarillo to slacken just a little which lets her pull her arm free, then she jumps and kicks him back away and the girls watched as the Yoma is killed by its own skeleton.

"Ouch, that's a pretty nasty toy you have there, Washu" says Amarillo, looking back at her friend while the Yoma, now dead, collapses onto the ground.

Washu laughs, then says "And now I know what it does too? I had been curious after all..."

"WHAT? You mean you used that without knowing what it would do? I'll bet you didn't even know if it would affect me as well, huh?" shouts Amarillo.

"Um...maybe?" says Washu nervously, which makes Amarillo even madder.

A whistling sound is heard as a guard finally arrives. "Hey, you girls alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, nothing we couldn't handle" says Amarillo.

The guard looks at the five Yoma, then at Amarillo, saying "I see...Well then, you better come with me, just in case there are more about."

"Understood sir" says Amarillo as he walks up to her and places his hand on her shoulder which makes her feel something odd.

But before she could find out what, the guard's body jerks violently before collapsing onto the ground; the result of Musashi coming up from behind and attacking him. "Musashi? What...?"

"Amarillo, look?" yells one of the girls, making Amarillo look down at the guard and finding to her shock its body shifting to reveal that it was a sixth Yoma that had shape shifting abilities. She then looks back at Musashi as Ako comes running up to him. "How did you know?" asked Amarillo.

"His aura. His physical appearance may have been that of a human, but his aura was that of a demon's and you can't hide your aura no matter how hard you try" was Musashi's response.

"But how can you tell what its aura is like? And how did you take it down so easily?" asked Amarillo.

"I...can't say, I'm sorry. But as for how I could take it down so easily? I used a special fighting style I created a few years back which involves attacking my opponents source points" says Musashi.

"Source points...?" asked Amarillo, her words being drowned out by sirens blaring out as the real security guards finally arrived. "Anyways...thanks for the save, new kid."

"Sure thing" says Musashi as the guard finally arrived, confused to see six dead Yoma, and having a lot of questions for these kids from the academy.

**(present)**

"And that's my telling on the first day I met Musashi. Little could I have imagined how things would go for the both of us in years to come" says Mada.

"Is that REALLY how it happened?" asked Naruto.

Mada gives him a sly grin, saying "Why, yes it is...more or less, though I may have embellished a few moments here and there."

"Master, how did Musashi know about the Yoma's aura's pattern? And his fighting style. Was it some precursor to the Gentle Fist technique?" asked Hanabi.

"I didn't know of it at the time, but Musashi possessed the first ocular based doujutsu; the Reikigan or Aura Eyes which, when activated, made his iris's glow like a rainbow and allowed him to see the aura that surrounds all living beings. In time, and as a side effect of being exposed to both Makai and Celestial Realm energies, his Reikigan would become the Rinnegan and then in time, the Reirinnegan, or a Rinnegan that had a different color present within each ring. And yes, Musashi did use the original version of the Gentle Fist art" says Mada before getting up.

"Now, it's time we head back. We'll have more time to speak on the past in the future" says Mada as she turns and heads towards the entrance of the shrine with Naruto and Hanabi right behind her.

**(present present)**

A rain had began to fall upon the Final Valley as Naruto and the others finally arrived, having tracked down their aged elder, shocked and heartbroken to find her having fallen in battle...

**to be continued...**


	27. 27 Eight Faced 7

Down the darkened halls of the Hidden Village of Oto, Kabuto walked with a large tray being held in his hand. Upon this tray was six cups and a large drinking bottle along with various food items as well. He came upon a door and used his free hand to open it.

Inside, gathered with the semi-large room, were six of the Orochimaru eight faces; some sitting and some engaging in other task. "My lords..." he says, not failing to notice to sour look Lust was giving him. "...and lady. I apologize for lord Orochimaru's absence as he is preparing Sasuke for an important test he wish's to give him."

"Fine with me seeing as I'm in no hurry to get things started" comes Sloth, leaning back in his chair to get even more comfortable.

"Speak for yourself" growls Wrath. "I just want to get this over and done with."

"You and I both, brother" says Greed, though his desire was different due to his own personal nature.

"Who cares about that" says Gluttony, saliva dripping from his mouth. "The food, the food. Give it to me now."

"Of course, masters" says Kabuto, advancing forward and placing the tray down. Almost immediately, Gluttony had pushed him to the side and was having his way with all the food. "Well, can I offer any of you any drinks at least?" he asked, getting nods from the gathered Faces.

As he pours the drinks, he looks at Envy and ask "By that way, what is so special about today anyways? Lord Orochimaru wasn't to clear on that."

"Today is the day all eight of us have been waiting for, luv" says Lust. "Today, we shall all battle one another so that the strongest among us can take the others into himself or HERSELF and become the one true Orochimaru."

"I see..." says Kabuto as he finish's handing out the drinks. "That makes sense I guess."

"But the question is can we even do it? After all, there's...Pride to consider" says Envy.

"Lord Orochimaru has had me doing examinations on him and together with the data I have obtained and lord Orochimaru's medical knowledge, we believe we have found a way to make the death curse a mute concern. Now, if you excuse me, I must bring Pride here, then I'll inform lord Orochimaru that you are all ready. If you'll excuse me" says Kabuto, bowing respectably before exiting the room.

As he walks down the hall again, heading to the lab where Pride's body was currently resting in and he allows himself a moment to smile just a little. Everything was going as planned. And before this day was over, there would indeed be one Orochimaru in the world; the only true Orochimaru...

**Naruto Invoke: Trance Forme**

**chpt.27: Eight Faced 7: The Treachery**

They didn't know the locations name; the place they had come to via the portal system. Everyone was gathered around the funeral mound where the body of elder Mada who had once been known as Amarillo Namikaze now lay.

"Ancient granny...no...Lady Amarillo, thank you for all you have done for us, all your hardships and sacrifices you had to make over your long life. Because of you and the work you did, we have a chance to save this world from experiencing a second age of darkness. I swear we won't fail you" says Naruto as the others bowed their heads in prayer.

He then turned back, taking hold of the torch aglow with fire as did the others. Then, one by one, they each stepped forward and lit the fire upon the pyre. "Grandma..." sniffed Fuu, having known her the longest of all of them. She then began a traditional song sung by the clan she had been born into, a song that was similar in both tone and feel as the one sung by the Senju during funerals.

Hanabi, tears falling from her eyes, hugs Naruto tightly as they all watched as the fire of the pyre rose and soon started consuming Mada's body.

Once the deed had been done and Mada's body had been reduced to ash, Utakata used his bubbles to but out the remaining fire while Gaara used his sand to gather her ash's and placed them within a special urn. The sand then hands the urn to Naruto who then leads them back to the portal sight for this region.

"I'll undergo the training" says Roushi suddenly.

"What changed your mind, old man?" asked Fuu, sounding somewhat bemused by his sudden change.

"I can't say as I don't know myself. But, I suddenly don't feel opposed to it anymore and when I look inside myself, I can no longer find my reasons there" says Roushi. "Perhaps, in my own way, I wish to honor this Mada woman. Maybe I even desire to avenge her despite not really knowing her well."

"I'll accept that" says Fuu. "But don't think it'll be easy training though. You'll have to risk everything you are just to begin it."

"If I must, then I shall do whatever is needed of me" says Roushi.

"That can wait till tomorrow" says Naruto, noting how late the hour was already. "Better to get a full night sleep and have a good breakfast before the trial of Self."

"I agree with that" says Utakata while Gaara nods as well.

Later that night, everyone save two had turned in for tomorrow's training which would be even more intense that ever before due to the resent events. The two who were still awake were Naruto and Hanabi who had business to take care of and had gone into the Casteopa Vault to take care of that business.

Hanabi triggered the activation of the Casteopa; Hegira Falls (Niagara Falls) and they were quick to enter. After exiting a small cave like structure, they took a moment to marvel at the majestic sight of the falls before stepping over the guard rail and onto the water.

Why had they came here? It had been a mental order Mada had placed upon Hanabi that would trigger should she ever die. And that order had been for her, along with Naruto, to enter the Hegira Falls Casteopa and walk upon the waters near the edge to where the message would be waiting.

"Pretty incredible place" notes Naruto as they walked onto the waters. "I just wish our coming here was under better circumstances though."

"I know..." agreed Hanabi, leading him to the spot

Soon, they had arrived at the chosen spot and Hanabi weaves together several hand signs before leaning down and clapping the rushing water. A glow arises from beneath them as water rises up, forming an image of sorts of Mada; but not as an old woman but her true self, Amarillo.

"Naruto, Hanabi, fancy seeing you two here" says Amarillo in a joking fashion, a grin on her face.

"Should have know she's be joking with us at the beginning" says Naruto.

"If you two are here, listening to this message, then it means I'm worm food now, heh heh" she chuckles, then her facial features change as she becomes more serious. "I'm sure you're both wondering why I have called you both here?"

"As my death likely occurred before I could complete certain works and telling you both things you need to know, I created this message to fill in the blanks and give you the information you'll need in order to advance and progress towards saving this world."

After a pause, she continues. "In my explanation, you will learn more about me, my past, and Musashi. You will learn who I suspect this man Tobi, who claims to be Madara Uchiha, may actually be. And, I will tell you about what you must do next, including your forthcoming battle with Kyubi's Yin chakra, Naruto. So listen close now because all of this you will need to know..."

**(Oto)**

"Sasuke, I have a little mission for you."

"What is it?" asked Sasuke, not really minding as he felt he could do with some fresh air.

"It has come to my attention that a group of rogue ninja have made a base for themselves in the valley not to far northwest of here. While they themselves do not concern me, I have learned that the process a scroll from their former village; a scroll that contains incredibly sensitive data within it. No doubt, they plan on offering this scroll to another village in exchange for asylum."

"And I suppose you want me to obtain this scroll for you, is that right?" asked Sasuke.

"Is this going to be to much for you?" asked Orochimaru.

Sasuke scoffs at the question. "It'll be child's play."

Orochimaru chuckles then says "Good, good, I'm glad to hear that. But, just to be on the safe side. I will be sending some backup along with you."

With those words, the door to Orochimaru's private sanctum open and Kimimaro steps in. But he wasn't alone as there were two others with him. A pale faced youth with white hair and a tough look man with orange hair. "Sasuke, allow me to introduce Suigetsu Hozuki and Jugo. They, along with Kimimaro, will accompany you on this task."

"Is that really necessary?" asked Sasuke. "I won't need any help..." he says, referring to Suigetsu and Jugo. "...and I certainty don't need a babysitter", referring to Kimimaro.

"Kimimaro is going along for the sake of supervising from the distance, not to actually help you on this errand of mine. As for the other two? Well, I thought it would be good if you had your own team to command. After all, I'm sure they can be of use to you" says Orochimaru.

Sasuke looks back at them, then at Orochimaru again and releases a sigh. "Fine." He then walks over to them and stops long enough to say "Try not to slow me down out there, OK?"

Suigetsu grins, saying "Oh, I won't slow you down, big shot. But don't come crying to me if I accidentally cut you with my blade during the battle." Suigetsu then reach's back and places a hand on the handle of the long sword he had hanging from his back, preparing to show it to Sasuke...up close and personal like. But this action is stopped by Jugo.

"Save it for another time. Like during the introductions we can give each other in route" says Jugo, his animalistic rampages being kept in check for the moment thanks to Kimimaro's close presence to him.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever" says Suigetsu, letting go of his blade then following after Sasuke with Jugo behind him.

"How long should I keep them gone, lord Orochimaru?" asked Kimimaro, aware of what today was for his master.

"It should already be finished before you even arrive. But, just to be safe, allow me four hours before returning. Just in case some of them prove more difficult than expected" was Orochimaru's reply.

Kimimaro bows before taking his leave, nearly pumping into Kabuto as he arrived. "They have all gathered and are awaiting. I have also taken the liberty of moving Pride into the room as well, lord Orochimaru."

"Good work, Kabuto" says Orochimaru as he gets up and heads toward the door. "Why don't you come along and observe. After all, this is an event that doesn't come around much and seeing it in person could be very educational for you."

"As you wish" says Kabuto, falling into step beside him.

As they walk down the hall, Kabuto hands the cup he had brought to Orochimaru, saying "Here, I thought you might like some tea before the big moment."

Orochimaru takes the cup and drinks it. "Hm, a new flavor?"

"Just something I came across back in Kiri recently. Does it taste good?" asked Kabuto.

"It serves the taste buds well enough. Though maybe a little more milk mixed in would enhance the flavoring."

"So, how will you get around the death curse old man Sarutobi placed on Pride?" asked Kabuto. "My research didn't turn up anything useful on that matter."

Orochimaru smiles, saying "Don't worry about that. The death curse is no longer an issue for me. In fact, if I were to be brutally honest with you, Kabuto..." They arrive at the room and Orochimaru takes hold of the handle, then looks back at Kabuto and says "...it was never really an issue to begin with."

"But we'll speak on that later..." Orochimaru then opens the door, stepping inside. "So, are we ready...?"

His words stop cold at we he sees before him. Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, and Greed; all six of them were laying on the ground, unmoving. But worse yet was the state their bodies were in as they looked almost...mummified like; skin a cracking gray and the color in their hair faded and their eyes bulging and blood shot.

"What is this?" says Orochimaru, the venom in his voice being potent enough to make most feel as if their blood had frozen. A soft chuckle behind him, coming from Kabuto, catches his ear and makes the snake Sanin spin around, his face contorted into a rage. "KABUTO? What have you done?"

"Did you really think you could hide it? Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out when I examined Pride?" asked Kabuto as he moves forward, passing Orochimaru and stepping into the center of the room.

"My suspicions were born when you asked me to examine Pride, ordering me to use whatever means needed to unlock the mystery of the death curse for your own personal use. I was confused of course, seeing as he was still alive though comatose. Why would you be so indifferent in me doing whatever was needed knowing that it was one of your eight halves and that certain acts could render him unable to merge again with the rest of you to form a whole. It was all quite confusing."

Kabuto then moves back to Pride's body, placing his hand upon the comatose man's chest. "But the thing of it was...that Pride was already dead when you asked me to do the examination. He had died just moments after being curse by the mark. And you had gone in before handing him off to me, making it look like he was still alive when he was not. But why? And why would Pride have died when he was an incomplete entity? A fragment of the true Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru listen closely to Kabuto's words though he already knew the boy had figured out the secret. Question was, just HOW MUCH of the secret did he know? Just to be safe, he was preparing to attack Kabuto should he know to much.

"But he wasn't an incomplete entity, was he? He wasn't a fragment of Orochimaru? No, he had just been cosmetically altered by you and the other Snake's to play a role needed of him. He even had Orochimaru cells injected into him to help him play his role better. Am I right so far?" asked Kabuto.

"Quite perceptive. And here I thought I had done a good enough job to fool even your medical skills" says Orochimaru. "We also gave him false memories as well. He was more than just a stand in. He actually believed himself that he was an Orochimaru fragment."

"I figured as much" says Kabuto, stepping away and walking towards Orochimaru. "Having discovered this shocking truth, two questions were born. If he wasn't the Pride of Orochimaru, then where was the Pride then I puzzled over this conundrum for a while, then realization struck me like a lightning bolt."

Kabuto then stops, pointing at Orochimaru and declares. "It's you, isn't it. You are Pride." Kabuto then walks over to the table and pulls a knocked over chair back up and sits upon it, crossed leg. "I always wondered why you didn't have a designation like the others. But you did. And as the Pride of Orochimaru, you naturally retained both his physical appearance and mannerism. You were the most like the original as pride was his most dominate trait."

"Bravo, Kabuto. Quite perceptive" says Orochimaru, clapping his hands. "And again, you are correct. I am the TRUE Pride of Orochimaru."

"Which leads me to the other question. What about the eighth Orochimaru then? Was it possible that there wasn't eight? Or, had he or she already been consumed by another? But that question didn't stay a mystery for long as an examination of my own blood, following a cut, to see if there was any infections present revealed..."

Seeing that Kabuto knew the full truth, Orochimaru goes to make the first strike with his shadow snakes. But, to his shock, the jutsu didn't activate. Even more than that, his body suddenly began to feel numb as his knees gave out on him and he collapsed.

Kabuto gets up and walks to him. "I am the eighth Orochimaru. The one who didn't look at all like the original. This fact confused me. But then I realized why I looked so different. This body was the physical representation of what Orochimaru would have looked like had his parents not used him in their insane experiments to create a human/Biju hybrid."

"Damn you, Kabuto" growls Orochimaru as he tries to regain movement, but finds his body only becoming more numb instead. "What did you do to me?"

"Say thing I did to them earlier. Oh, by the way. Did you REALLY enjoy that tea I made for you?"

In that moment, Orochimaru understood. It had been the tea. The taste within that made it feel lacking wasn't because it needed a little more milk. Rather, it had been a drug. One potent enough to leave the seven Orochimaru helpless.

Kabuto looks to each of the other Faces, saying "I've already taking what is need from them into myself. All that's left is you." He then reach's out and grabs hold of Orochimaru's chin, making the two of them lock eyes. "I also learned, from them before they died, that I was never given a title of my own, given the fact you sealed my memories to leave one of the eight as weak and incapable of fighting you. So, I have given myself a title even if it is about to become meaningless..."

"I am Orochi-Treachery" says Kabuto. "And now, it is time for us to become one again so that the true Orochimaru can be born once more..."

"KABUTO..." roars Orochimaru as Kabuto got to work on him.

**(several hours later)**

"Well, that was rather boring" whined Suigetsu as they reenter Oto.

"Funny, I recall that one ninja giving you some trouble before Sasuke stepped in" says Jugo.

"Shut up" shouts Suigetsu. "I was just having an off moment is all. Or do I need to prove it to you right here and..."

"Save it for later, you two" orders Sasuke, looking back at them with his Sharingan activated.

"Fine" growls Suigetsu.

"Anyways, lets go report to Orochimaru now" says Sasuke.

"Wait, you all can go rest now. I'll deliver it personally" says Kimimaro, taking the scroll from Sasuke's hand.

"Oh, I get it. You plan on claiming all the glory for yourself, huh?" shouts Suigetsu.

"And how would he do that, exactly?" asked Sasuke. "His job, as ordered by Orochimaru, was simply to observe which he did. Besides, he's not the type to take credit for the work of others...like a certain someone else here would."

"Why you..." says Suigetsu, preparing to attack but deciding not to when he sees a dangerous look come over Sasuke's eyes.

"Orochimaru will likely be busy working on something that has to do with Ouroborus and will not like anyone other than me interrupting him. Or, if you want to take a risk of being bitten by one of his snakes, then please feel free to go deliver it yourself" says Kimimaro, offering the scroll up.

"Um...no thanks. I need to soak for a while anyways" says Suigetsu before running off. Sasuke and Jugo also take their leave while Kimimaro heads to the room where the ritual would have been held in.

He doubted that Orochimaru would still be there of course, unless the ritual had only just finished up just before their return, but Kimimaro couldn't deny his desire to see the other seven laying hollowed and lifeless upon the ground. Plus, it would let him know ahead of time which one was the one now.

He arrives at the room and opens the door; stepping inside. He only took three steps before freezing in place. Eight bodies were present here. Pride was laying back on a table on the far side of the room. Sloth, Envy, Lust, Wrath, Greed and Gluttony were scattered around here and there. And...Orochimaru himself lay near the door, his own body dead and breaking.

"Wha...what is this?" says Kimimaro, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Had something gone wrong with the ritual? Had there been an attack? Had that death curse claimed them all after all? He then notices a cloth being held in Orochimaru's hand, torn from the clothing of another.

Kimimaro steps forward and retrieves the cloth, knowing immediately where it had come from. His face darkens, his eyes fill with rage, as he spins around and races from the room. He knew where the killer would be. Entering the chamber of Ouroborus, he sees the killer who was focused on the massive tank which contained the monstrously large white snake.

"KABUTO!" he roars as he charges forward, bones ripping from his body to attack with.

Kabuto turns to look at Kimimaro and in the moment their eyes lock, Kimimaro's whole bodies freezes up and he collapses to his knees. "Ah, Kimimaro. You're back I see. How did the mission go?" asked Kabuto as he approach's him.

What was going on, wondered Kimimaro. Though it was Kabuto's face and form, he was different now. The look in his eyes, his mannerisms, the way he carried himself, the aura he gave off, his speech patterns. It was all like...

"Lord Orochimaru?" asked Kimimaro, getting a grin from Kabuto that only Orochimaru could make. "But...how...?"

"This body was one of my eight fragmented selves. The one you believed to be my pride personified was a fake the true Pride had made as a just in case" says Orochimaru/Kabuto. He then looks back at the tank, adding "Funny, I never would have believed that my final body type would come from the black sheep in the experiment. But, perhaps there is purpose in this being the case."

Orochimaru/Kabuto then explains to Kimimaro all about what had happened after he had left with Sasuke and the other two. Now back on his feet, Kimimaro ask "So, what's the next step then, master?"

Orochimaru/Kabuto raises his hand and places it on the massive tank as the head of the white snake becomes visible in the foggy water. "I will focus on completing Ouroborus here as merging him with me is the next step in fulfilling my parents long desired dream. Also, as I have Kabuto's form as my true form now, I can use Kiri to suit my needs as well seeing as Kabuto is a Kiri ninja as well."

"But what about around here? Will the others be as loyal to you now that you have this new look?"

"That won't be a problem as I can use a transformation jutsu to make them see me as they expect to see me" says Orochimaru/Kabuto, who then chuckles. "Despite a few unexpected turns, the plan is still progressing in the manner I need it to and only time stands between me and my destiny..."

**(Sanctuary)**

"So, you know what you need to do then?" asked Fuu.

"Overcome the darkness of the Biju's chakra which will manifest itself as a copy of me while in there" says Roushi. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"Don't get cocky. Its that type of attitude that could make you lose in there" warns Fuu. "Just remember, it will be hard and you will be pushed right to the edge."

"I know...I will be victorious" says Roushi before he steps forward into the chamber.

"We can only hope so" says Fuu as the path seals itself off.

"Hey, where are big brother and Hanabi at?" asked Moegi, looking around. "I thought they would be hear to watch as well?"

"Maybe they're still asleep?" says Utakata.

"Things of late haven't been easy for them" adds Gaara. He wasn't just referring to what had happened with Mada either. There was the situation with Hinata having been brainwashed and was still in enemy hands. There was the attack on Senhana and the deaths of many people. And there was the truth about what was going on within the Hyuga Clan; that it was Hizashi who was still alive and Hiashi who was likely dead now.

"I'll go check on them" says Moegi, turning to head into the underground chambers.

"Leave them be for now" says Fuu, making her stop. "They have a lot to think about...worry about. Let the comforts of sleep and dreams keep them for just a little bit longer before they have to awaken to the cruel reality of this world..."

But little did Fuu, or anyone else know, that Naruto and Hanabi were already awake. Down, within the Casteopa Vault, they had finished hearing all of Mada's message and, armed with the knowledge that had been passed onto them, they were now training with even more intensity than ever before.

Naruto, now up to five chakra tails of power and Hanabi, surrounded by the Sage aura Mada had taught her, moved insanely fast and exchanged explosive blows with one another, knowing that in order to save the world, stop Uchiha, and rescue Hinata, they would need to be stronger, smarter, and faster than ever before.

And time was running out...

**to be continued...**


End file.
